ThunderCats 2011 Season 2
by srebak
Summary: Takes place after "What Lies Above". Since the chance for a real Season two seems pretty slim, I made this in hopes of putting my mind at rest though I doubt it will work
1. A New Chapter

**Episode 27- The Next Chapter**

**Disclaimer – I own nothing, this is pure Fan Fiction**

It's only been a short while since the Thundercats left the crashed remains of Avista city. And after returning the Elephants, the Berbils, the Fishmen and Dobo's crew back to their respective homes, they returned to their quest for the Stones, now with the help of their new airship, the Feliner.

The entire group was on the Airship's bridge, and while Tygra was at the controls, Cheetara was sitting right next to him on one side, while Lion-O sat on the other. Panthro was sitting next to the instruments this time, while WilyKat and WilyKit were sitting in the passenger seat with Snarf sitting in between them.

Panthro was visibly upset about something, but it was not made clear what until he actually came out and said - -

_"I liked it better when we used the ThunderTank. I was the one got to drive then"_

Tygra didn't need to look at Panthro to smugly reply:

_"Feeling a little jealous are we, Panthro? You should count yourself lucky that the Berbils even stopped to repair the ThunderTank before we sent them home"_

Panthro pouted and grumbled silently after that, and that's when Cheetara saw fit to interrupt by saying-

_"Alright, you two, focus. I think we should be using this time to think about our current situation"_

_"I can save you some trouble there, Cheetara, it's not looking good"_ Tygra replied, his smug smile now turned into a serious frown

Suddenly, Panthro's grumpy face became slightly remorseful as he sighed and added –

_"Tygra's right, we're in deep swamp water. Just when you think we've gotten one step ahead of Mumm-Ra, he manages to get his bony fingers on the Sword of Plun-Darr and then makes off with the Tech Stone" _

_"At least we didn't loose the Sword of Omens or the Spirit Stone"_ WilyKit said

_"…And like Cheetara said: that's something"_ her brother added

_"Maybe, but now that Mumm-Ra has the Tech Stone, things just got a whole lot more…complicated for us"_ Cheetara replied

_"There's only one stone left, and if we want to turn the tide of this war, we're gonna have to get to it first"_ Panthro said

_"Which reminds me, where is the last stone, anyway?"_ Tygra asked

After that, the Thundercats found a nice place to land their airship and then all headed down to the Cargo hold, which was also where the recently rebuilt ThunderTank was currently resting. Its basic design was still the same as it was before the Soul Sever's machines took it apart though, and that was because the Berbils didn't see the need to upgrade it this time.

Anyway, the group of seven quickly made its way inside the Thundertank, and once they were all there, they immediately hooked up the Book of Omens, which then proceeded to display its large, red, graphic hologram of Third Earth. The Book showed the location of the third stone, of course, but without a lot of distinct markings on the map, it was hard to decipher exactly where this specific location was.

_"Hmm, it says the last stone is here…"_ WilyKit started as she pointed to where the map showed their target's location

_"…Yeah, but where exactly is "there"?"_ her brother finished

_"Oh, great, it's giving us another riddle" _Panthro said as he crossed his arms in an annoyed way

_"Well, at least it's not just pointing up anymore"_ Tygra said in a dry-witted tone, minus the smile

_"Riddle or not, we have to find the last stone! This could be our last chance to finally defeat Mumm-Ra"_ said Cheetara

_"Yeah, especially now that that two-timing, feather bag, Vultaire has joined his team" _Tygra replied

_"(Scoffs) you think that's the part we need to worry about, Tygra?"_ Panthro said as he got in closer to the holographic image of Third Earth _"No sooner do we finally rid ourselves of that backstabbing Saber-Tooth, Grune. Now, we have to deal with that lying, two-faced She-Cat, Pumyra!"_

It was at that moment that the old Panther noticed the angry glares of Cheetara, Tygra and even the twins and Snarf. He was unsure of their reason for doing so at first, but that quickly changed when Cheetara said...

_"Be quiet about Pumyra, Panthro! Can't you be a little bit more sensitive than that?!" _

…in a hushed voice

Suddenly, Panthro realized his mistake and even started to stutter as a result of it. But before that could last for more than a few seconds, the Cats heard the voice of their young lion monarch, who had finally decided to speak after such a long time of being quite.

_"It's okay, you guys, you don't have to keep dancing around it; it doesn't matter in the slightest, not now. Pumyra's made it clear where her allegiance lies, which means we'll deal with her when the time comes. But for right now, we need to focus on finding the last stone first; I won't let us lose any more ground to Mumm-Ra"_

Lion-O looked at the Holographic image with determination after that, and because of it, he completely missed the looks of concern made by his fellow Thunderians. They all knew how much Lion-O cared for Pumyra, and now that her true colors have been revealed, they could only imagine what kind of feelings their king was experiencing at that very moment, but chose to not show.

Still, just like what happened after gaining the Spirit Stone, Lion-O had no intention of letting his own aching heart get in the way of stopping Mumm-Ra. And this was only made more apparent by his serious demeanor as he stroked his chin, looked at the red holographic image and said…

_"There must be someone who has a map of this area"_

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Feliner started to shake like crazy, almost as if something were attacking it from the outside. However, when the Thundercats all rushed outside to see what was going on, they were surprised to see that there was nothing out there.

Lion-O still had the team look around, of course, but even then, there was nothing to be found. Not even a footprint or anything. Naturally, this mystery left everyone a bit puzzled, but it was quickly put on hold when the Cats all looked to their south and saw a nearby village in the distance.

_"Hmm, I can't tell who lives in that town, but maybe, just maybe, they'll have someone with a map we can use" _said Lion-O right before looked towards Panthro and continued _"Worth a shot?"_

_"Worth a shot" _the old Panther replied

After that, the TCats all hopped into the Thundertank, revved it up and were soon on their way to the nearby village.

Meanwhile, back at the ever gloomy place that is Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, Mumm-Ra himself was in his Chambers, admiring his recently acquired prize; the Tech Stone, as it lay embedded in the Gauntlet of Plun-Darr. In the chamber with him was his other recently acquired prize from Avista, Pumyra, who just stood there watching, as her "master" admired his first actual Power Stone.

Eventually, the evil Mummy finally broke the silence by saying _"Beautiful, isn't it, Pumyra, simply marvelous. After generations of the Tech Stone's power being squandered on a race that could only tap into a fraction of its true potential, it is, at long last, back in the hands of someone who understands its true power"_

Pumyra just smile wickedly after that, right before she bowed her head and replied _"Oh, absolutely, my lord"_

_"There is only one stone left unattended now, and while the Thundercats may still live, it will be worth leaving them alive, if only to see the looks on their faces when they see me with the fourth and final power stone in my gauntlet."_

Pumyra smiled even more wickedly after hearing that comment, but suddenly, the two are then interrupted when Slithe and Vultaire enter the chamber, along with four other Lizard troops.

_"Ah, General Slithe, I was just about to summon you, is everything ready for our departure?"_

_"Not quite, Lord Mumm-Ra, the Lizard army is nearing completion with the preparations, but we still require a little more time to finish up" _

_"How much longer?" _said Mumm-Ra, his look of joy now turned into a look of annoyance

_"Um, according to Vultaire, another couple of hours at the very least" _said Slithe

_"A couple of hours, you idiots have had more than a couple of days, what is taking so long?!" _said Pumyra

_"A question I've often asked myself, but I suppose this sort of thing is to expected when your only engineers are a band of Lizards" _said Vultaire, unknowingly getting an angry glare from Slithe _"Still, regardless of how long it's taking, I assure you, my lord, all of the modifications we're making to your armada are only to ensure your acquisition of the last stone"_

_"Speaking of which, Vultaire, are you sure that you know where the last stone's location is? Because I, for one, do not appreciate being dragged on a wild goose chase" _said Slithe

_"Oh, relax yourself, my reptilian friend; I assure you that my coordinates are to the letter. We Avistans have been keeping a close eye on that primitive culture for years after all"_

_"(Chuckles) got scared that they might rise up against you one day…?" _said Slithe, rather smugly

_"What..? Of course not, it was purely a safety precaution; we did the same for all the animals in charge of a power stone"_

_"(Chuckles) so basically, you were scared that they would rise up against you" _said a smug Pumyra

_"The Avistans fear no…!"_

_"Enough, Vultaire, all of you just get down to the fleet and make sure that everything is prepared for our attack. The sooner we retrieve the last stone, the sooner the real fun can begin" _said Mumm-Ra, right before he started to laugh his signature evil laugh

_(Commercial Break)_

The Thundercats soon arrived at the nearby village, and once they were there, they got out of the Thundertank and split up so that they could to take a look around. When they did, they were surprised to see that the inhabitants were all a race of humanoid sheep creatures: these were the **Bolkins**. As for the village itself, it seemed rather rustic, even by the standards of Dog City. The shops and houses seemed stable enough, but were still a little run down and the streets were nothing but dirt paths.

Still, the Cats were still in need of a map, so they looked around town in hopes of finding at least one shop that sold them. They didn't have much luck at first though, and, for a moment, while Lion-O was looking around, he could've sworn that someone was following him. He didn't see anyone when looked behind him the first time, but right after her went back to his searching, the steam coming from one of the local houses began to form some type of shape behind him. It seemed like an ordinary Steam cloud at first, but in mere seconds, it became the face of what looked like an elderly, yet lovely looking woman, and it was looking directly at Lion-O.

The young lion knew that there was something amiss at that point, but when he turned around for a second time, he once again saw nothing, as if the smoke cloud was never there at all. This puzzled him to be sure, but before he could give the matter anymore thought, Cheetara approached him and said-

_"Still no luck any finding map shops, Lion-O"_

This caught Lion-O off-guard for a moment, but he quickly got his mind off of what he thinks just happened and replied-

_"Oh, well, uh, keep looking, there has to be someone here who sells maps. There just has to be"_

The two Cats kept on walking after that, and during that time, Cheetara felt the need to reestablish her forgotten role as Lion-O's counselor and said—

_"You know, it's okay to feel hurt about what happened in Avista City. What Pumyra did was a shock to all of us"_

The young lion heard the cheetah's words, but he did not look her in the eyes to give his response. No, he just kept looking around, while maintaining a serious look on his face, and said-

_"Yeah, I know"_

Still, Cheetara could not sense any emotion in her king's response, so she kept talking

_"What's with you, Lion-O? Ever since we lost the Tech Stone, you've been as quiet as the wind and more serious looking than Panthro. What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing's wrong, Cheetara, I'm just focusing on finding the next stone, that's all. You said it yourself, if we don't find the next stone, it's all over. And I cannot, I will not, allow that to happen. (Brief pause) I won't fail again"_

Lion-O walked on ahead of Cheetara after that, but, as usual, Cheetara was quick notice the sudden shift in Lion-O's tone when he spoke. It started out in a very serious tone, but then it started to turn into an almost remorseful tone. No doubt to serve as a sign of Lion-O's inner turmoil. This made Cheetara all the more concerned for her king

Meanwhile, back at Mumm-Ra's pyramid, the Lizard army was seen preparing itself for some type of an invasion, and the ones overseeing all of this were non other than Mumm-Ra's four Generals, along with Pumyra. Vultaire looked upon all of this technology with pride and was particularly proud of the advancements he himself added.

_"Amazing, isn't it, my friends? Your once highly advanced fleet is now even more advanced then before" _the vulture said, as he looked upon the fleet of upgraded vehicles_ "But then, I was the one who upgraded them after all, so what else could they be besides highly advanced?"_

That last comment made both Addicus and even Kaynar roll their eyes in an "Oh brother" sort of way. But Slithe just dryly said-

_"Alright, Vultaire, we're all impressed by your technological know-how, good for you"_

_"Well, excuse me, Slithe; I was only admiring the considerable improvements I've made to your already advanced armada. Though, to be honest, I am a little concerned that the changes I've made will be too much for the Lizards to adjust to" _

That last comment struck a nerve in Slithe and he was quick to respond to it by grabbing Vultaire by the wing and saying-

_"What do you mean by that, Bird?"_

_"Well, let's face it, Slithe; the Lizards have never been the most advanced species on Third Earth, have they? How else do you think the Cats were able to walk all over you for as long as they did?"_ this statement only made Slithe more angry, but that didn't stop Vultaire from continuing by saying _"In fact, I'd say that your kind is just barely below the Dogs and the Monkeys on the Animal food chain, and let's be honest, that's hardly saying very much"_

It was then that Vultaire realized just how far he put his foot into his mouth; Kaynar and Addicus were none too happy about that last comment. Pumyra nearby at the time, but instead of watching, as the three generals advanced on the smug vulture, she just sighed and made an "oh brother" look on her face as she leaned up against a nearby hovercraft. This made her blissfully unaware of the two Lizard troops who were sneaking behind that very same hovercraft. They made sure that they were in good blind spot before they did anything, of course, but once they were certain that they were in the clear, one of the Lizards brought out a strange looking green crystal and placed it onto the side of Pumyra's hovercraft. It somehow latched on to the machine's haul, and what's more, once it was there, it started to blip like it were a piece of technology (specifically like the homing beacons used in the fall of Thundera). That was when the two Lizards smiled at one another and revealed that their signature red goggles had changed into a shade of blue. The two reptilians scurried away from the hovercraft at that point and elusively made their way far away from the Lizard fleet; no one even noticed them. This made the two Lizards confident enough to look back at the armada and admire the good work that they've already done; apparently, Pumyra's hovercraft was not the only vehicle to be given a glowing green crystal.

Suddenly, Pumyra felt a strong presence of some sort in the air, and it made her head throb painfully for a few seconds. It didn't cause her much pain, of course, but even so, the whole thing still left the Puma feeling a little bit baffled. Not that she had time to ponder on it for too long, mind you, because in mere seconds, the entire area around her started to surge with electrified green energy. Slithe and the other generals noticed this too (which was fortunate for Vultaire, because it was right before Addicus was about to pummel him), but unfortunately, all any of them could do was watch as the multiple bolts of green lightning began to strike every single vehicle in the Lizard fleet without mercy. Much of the fleet was destroyed within seconds, and while the Lizard army just scrambled about in scared confusion, Pumyra and the Generals just looked upon this mysterious occurrence with shock and amazement.

What nobody saw, however, was that the green energy was actually coming from the green crystals that were attached to the vehicles themselves. This was what they were for and seeing them in action only made the two blue-goggled Lizards all the happier as they made their unseen escape.

Meanwhile, in Mumm-Ra's chambers, the undead warlord himself was becoming aware that something was wrong in his Pyramid. Mainly because his magical pool had suddenly turned green and began to swirl like a whirlpool. He also went through a throbbing headache like Pumyra did, and when he looked up at the Ancient Spirit statues, he was shocked to see that their eyes had begun to flicker back and forth from their usual bright red to an even brighter shade of blue.

Eventually, all of this subsided, and when it did, Mumm-Ra's only response to it was-

_"What-what a strange phenomenon, although, it does bring one name to mind"_

Meanwhile, back at the Bolkin town, the Thundercats were all just returning to the Thundertank after, regrettably, coming back empty-handed from their search for a map. They had already searched every shop in this rustic town, and there was not one single map store among them.

_"(Sigh) I can't believe we didn't find a single map store in this entire town"_ WilyKat moaned as looked at his sister…

…who then responded with _"…There wasn't even a single map-maker in this entire town…"_

_"I guess, for whatever reason, these Bolkin creatures have no need of maps"_ Cheetara replied as she stood next to Tygra…

…who then dryly added _"Doesn't surprise me, there's not a lot out here, why make a map when there's nothing to map out?"_

_"Well, isn't this just perfect?" _said Lion-O_ "Another dead end for us and another moment for Mumm-Ra to get one step closer to finding the last stone. Just terrific"_

_"You know that this isn't your fault, Lion-O"_ said Cheetara, after she quickly noticed the sense of remorse and self-loathing in Lion-O's tone

_"So this town didn't have any maps, big deal. We just picked the wrong place to look" _Tygra added in a nonchalant sounding tone

That's when Panthro walked up to Lion-O and said _"Look, kid, we just need to find another town and look for a map there, no big deal, let's get going"_

Lion-O nodded in agreement after hearing that, and he and his subordinates all started to board the Thundertank with intent of leaving. However, before they could all get on board, they were suddenly hailed by two locals; a Bolkin with brown wool, and another with yellow wool.

_"Um, excuse me, uh, feline beings?"_ said the Bolkin with brown wool

_"Uh, forgive us for overhearing, but did you say that you needed a map?"_ said the Bolkin with yellow wool as he reached into the bag he was carrying and brought out a rolled up map (Convenient, huh?)

The Cats were surprised by this supposed stroke of good fortune, but that was before they actually looked at the map and saw that it only covered the general area.

_"(Groans) still not the part of Third Earth we need"_ WilyKit groaned

That's when the Bolkin with brown wool looked up at the TCats with confusion and asked-

_"I'm sorry, is there something wrong with the map?"_

_"No, it's not that, it's just, we need to get to a very specific location and to even get an idea of where it is, we need full map of Third Earth itself"_ explained Cheetara

_"A full map of Third Earth, eh?"_ said the Bolkin with yellow wool, as he rubbed his fuzzy chin and pondered for a brief second before coming to a realization _"I think I know just the place you need to visit"_

_"And that would be?"_ Asked Panthro

That's when the Bolkin with brown wool pointed to a part of the map that showed a small mountain range found due west, and said-

_"Here; the Aresian Mountains, the only mountain range within sight of our village and the ancient home of the Bull Bolkins…"_

_"Bull Bolkins?"_ Asked WilyKat

_"Yes, a much larger breed of Bolkins. Not like the ones who live here in our village; oh no. They're much more aggressive, much more challenging, and they have the horns to back it all up. They hate it whenever anyone goes up to their mountains, that's why we regular Bolkins stay down here, where it's safe"_ replied the yellow furred Bolkin

_"Well, if all of that's true, then why are you trying to send us up there?"_ Tygra asked

_"Because, as troublesome as the Bull Bolkins are, they might just be the solution to your problem"_ said the brown Bolkin

_"Come again?"_ said a confused WilyKit

_"You see, in addition to being a bunch of thick-skulled savages, the Bull Bolkins are also surprisingly well skilled in the making of maps"_ the Yellow Bolkin explained

_"Nobody's quite sure how, but the Bull Bolkins have managed to map out every corner of Third Earth. If you need to find a specific location, those beasts are the ones to ask"_ the Brown Bolkin continued

As expected, the Thundercats were quick to hurry themselves towards this mountain range. And once they were gone, the two Bolkins were suddenly approached by a mysterious hooded woman wearing a dark blue robe, and she said-

_"So, did they take the bait?"_

_"Oh, yes they did, mistress, absolutely, just like you said they would"_ said the Brown Bolkin

_"They seemed fairly eager to take the offer, actually"_ added the Yellow Bolkin

_"After all that's happened to them already, I wouldn't expect anything less. But now, wheels are within motion and it appears that it's time for me to do my part"_ the cloaked figure said as we got a close-up look at her hood shrouded head.

_(Commercial Break)_

It took a while, but eventually, the Thundercats arrived at the Aresian Mountain range by sunset. However once they were there, they were mildly put off by the giant ram skulls that acted as markers for the main path. One of the skulls even rested on a stone podium that had the following message carved into it-

**_"Turn back, all who come this way, or be forced to feel the deadly consequences of your failure!" _**

Cheetara read this message out loud, but while Kit, Kat and Snarf all looked worried, Lion-O showed no signs of fear at all, and instead just said-

_"We'll rest here for the night; then we'll start climbing in the morning"_

_"So what, we're just ignoring these kinds of warnings now?"_ asked Tygra, as he watched Lion-O start to walk back to the Thundertank

_"It said that there would be consequences for failing, but I won't be failing, not this time"_

Cheetara heard every word of this, and it only further fueled her growing concern for her king. As he seemed a bit too concerned about not failing. WilyKit shared these feelings of concern and the two of them briefly shared a glance at each other before looking at Lion-O as he went back inside the Thundertank. However, what none of the TCats knew was that the hooded figure from the Bolkin village had followed them and was looking upon them from afar. Her true face remained unseen, but the way she stood implied that she was prepared to do something. What, exactly? Well that remains to be seen.

Anyway, the hours flew by and the Thundercats were all fast asleep in the Thundertank. But as soon as Snarf heard a loud noise coming from the outside; he immediately woke up and headed towards the nearest window to see what was causing all of the noise. He did see the cause, but when he did, the small, lizard-cat creature started to wish that he had not seen anything. A large horde of tall, shadowy creatures was surrounding the Thundertank, and they did not look friendly. Snarf immediately started to panic and went to wake the others, but while he did so, the horde outside began to throw large stones at the Thundertank, while they growled and shouted like members of a primitive tribe.

The Thundercats quickly made their way outside to confront the horde at this point, and when they did, they were surprised to see that these brutes appeared to be little more than much larger and muscular versions of the Bolkin people. They wore tatters instead of rustic clothing, they were as muscular as Addicus at the very most and Kaynar at the very least, and instead of having sheep's heads, they had the heads of curved-horned Rams with long, sharp, pointy teeth. These were the **Bull Bolkins**.

_"Let me guess, the Bull Bolkins, right?"_ said Lion-O with a slight tint of sarcasm in his voice

That's when the leader of this horde, the tallest and most muscular of all the Bull Bolkins, came up to face the young lion, and said-

_"Who wants to know…?" _

_"Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats"_

_"Oh really, well tell me, "Lion-O, Lord of the Thundercats"; did you and your friends simply not see the marker that we put up at the main path or read the warning we carved into the stone over there? Because, in case none of that was straightforward enough for you, my people and I do not take kindly to strangers and trespassers!"_

_"Yeah, we were already informed about that, but we were also informed that your people are, somehow, expert map-makers" _said Lion-O

_"What of it?" _

_"We were told that you'd be the ones who would have a detailed map of all Third Earth; we need it. Simply let us have it and we'll leave your territory in peace. We didn't come here to start any trouble"_

_"(Softly scoffs) is that so?" _said the Bull Bolkin leader as he smiled smugly, almost as if he were implying that he thought Lion-O was lying

That's when the large Bull Bolkin was called over by his vicious band and started to converse with them silently. Once they were done, he went back to confronting Lion-O and said-

_"Alright, "Thundercat", my people and I have talked it over and the Bull Bolkins have decided to grant you your request, but on one condition: a challenge"_

This made Lion-O growl in anger for a few moments, but that didn't stop the Bull Bolkin leader from talking-

_"Oh, but don't worry, it's a fairly simple challenge, you see, every once in a while, we Bull Bolkins like to test our physical might, so, as a result, we created a game called "Grapple". The idea is that two people sit down, lock arms together and then attempt to push down each other's arms. The first person to do so is the winner. And since this is a matter between our two groups, it seems only fitting that this be a contest between the leaders, yes?"_

Lion-O nodded in agreement to this challenge, of course, but because he did, the other Thundercats were left both shocked and worried, especially Snarf, Cheetara and WilyKit. Regardless though, the Bull Bolkins still led the TCats to a pile of stones that looked remarkably like a stone table of some kind. And when Lion-O and the Bull Bolkin leader approached it, they both started to prepare their right arms for the competition while the other Bull Bolkins looked upon this state of affairs with much anticipation. The other Tcats, however, were looking upon the state of affairs with much worry and concern, all the way to the part when both Lion-O and the Bull Bolkin leader sat down at the stone "table" and faced each other.

_"Are we ready to begin, O' Lord of the Thundercats?" _said the smug Bull Bolkin leader

_"Yes" _a stern Lion-O replied

_"Oh and, uh, by the way, you understand that with my enormous and all, I can't always control my amazing strength. So, when I win this, you might feel a little numbness in your arm for a few days, after the obligatory searing pain, of course" _the Bull Bolkin leader continued

_"I'll take my chances" _said Lion-O as he placed his right arm on the "table"

Only for the Bull Bolkin leader to do the same, while saying-

_"Okay, but please remember to scream, that's the part I always look forward to the most" _

After that, the competition finally began, and Lion-O and his Goat-faced opponent started to "grapple". They both gave it everything they had, but while both had their brief moments of gaining the upper-hand; neither was really making any head-way. This was saying a lot, actually, considering that the Lead Bull Bolkin was twice the size of his Feline adversary. The other Bull Bolkins were cheering on their leader the whole time, but the other Thundercats were still looking upon the whole thing with concern in their eyes, especially Snarf, Cheetara and WilyKit.

Meanwhile, back at Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, the Lizard army was faced with a completely decimated fleet of ships and was doing everything it could to repair it. Slithe and the other generals were overseeing these repairs, but they still couldn't figure out what caused all of this in the first place, particularly because all of the crystals responsible for this affair have all fallen off their respective ships and have all disintegrated into nothing.

_"I still don't get it (hooping), what just happened?"_ asked Addicus

_"Beats me, but whatever it was, it sure was a shock"_ joked Kaynar as he cackled insanely

_"I have not witnessed this kind of power since the day I first saw Mumm-Ra use his"_ Slithe continued

_"Indeed, and this power was just as precise, just as potent, and yet somehow…completely different"_ Vultaire added

_"You're right, Vultaire, it was different, how though; I cannot say"_ the Lizard general replied, right before he noticed that someone in the hangar was missing. _"Hey, where's Pumyra?"_

_"I think she went back up to Mumm-Ra's chambers, she sure looked like she was in a hurry to get there, too"_ said Kaynar, right before he started cackling again (this time for no particular reason)

Still, the Jackal was right; Pumyra had gone back up to Mumm-Ra's chambers and while she was there, her undead master said-

_"So, that strange sensation, it happened to you as well, Pumyra?"_

_"Yes, master, and the strangest part of it was…the sensation felt somehow familiar"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, while I was travelling with the Thundercats, there were times when I didn't feel like myself, when I couldn't feel your all-enshrouding power. Like when I chose not finish Lion-O in the Pit, there was brief moment where I actually felt glad I didn't end it there"_

That last part made Mumm-Ra a bit uneasy, but he hid it well when he said-

_"That was only because we needed him to help unearth the Sword of Plun-Darr; nothing more, nothing less"_

_"That was what I thought too, but the feeling didn't stop there. It continued to hit me randomly throughout the entire time I was in Mount Plun-Darr. In fact, right after you took the Sword of Plun-Darr, I didn't start to feel like myself again until after we arrived in Avista City. I'm sorry, my Lord, but I can't explain it"_

This only made Mumm-Ra more uneasy, and it showed by the way his eyes shuddered and the way his face looked. Pumyra noticed this and asked-

_"Master, is something wrong?" _

Mumm-Ra came out of his trance-like state after hearing this, and his reply was -

_"I believe I know what the source of our trouble is, Pumyra. And until that problem is dealt with, our invasion is going to have to put on hold"_

_"On hold…? But, my Lord, the final stone…"_

_"…Can wait until later, Pumyra, we will deal with it and the Thundercats when time allows. But for right now, if the cause of that strange phenomenon is who I think it is then everything I have worked so hard to achieve is now at risk."_

Pumyra wasn't sure what her undead master meant, but she knew better than to argue with him.

Meanwhile, back at the Aresian Mountains, Lion-O and the Bull Bolkin leader were still grappling, with neither side giving or gaining an inch. The other Bull Bolkins were still cheering on their leader, of course, but the other Thundercats chose to use this opportunity to talk amongst themselves-

_"I just don't get it, why is Lion-O putting himself through all of this?"_ said WilyKit as she looked at her twin

_"Well, we do really need that map, sis…" _her brother replied

_"Maybe, but Lion-O knows as well as we do that we could just as easily go somewhere else and find the map we need"_ Cheetara added _"To go through all of this for piece of paper just seems pointless"_

_"Is it or is it exactly what Lion-O needs right now; an honest to goodness victory for himself?"_ said Tygra, in tone that seemed much more at ease than Cheetara or WilyKit's

_"What are you talking about?" _said Cheetara

_"Did you think that Tygra's people were the only Cats that were proud? The Lions have a lot of Pride too, especially when they feel like they've failed somehow"_ said Panthro, in a tone that was just as calm and collected as Tygra's

_"You mean Lion-O doing all of this because of what happened with Pumyra…?" _said WilyKat after quickly coming to a realization

_"…and because of what happened with the Tech Stone and because of what happened with the Sword of Plun-Darr…" _Panthro carried on

_"Those were all fiascos and Lion-O blames himself for them, I can see it in his eyes" _said Tygra_ "He needs this, you guys, if he's going to have at least half the will to go on, he needs this"_

Tygra's eyes never wavered once from his nonchalant tone when he said this, and the other Cats knew that he and Panthro were right, though they still did not like it one bit.

Anyway, during the competition, for a brief moment, Lion-O's arm was starting to go down, but as soon as he noticed this, he immediately started pushing back harder and kept on pushing until, finally, he brought down his opponent's arm, and thus won the competition. The Bull Bolkins groaned in disappointment, but the TCats all cheered in victory, with the obvious exception of Lion-O, who was still worn out by his little exertion.

As promised, the Bull Bolkins (begrudgingly) presented the TCats with a map from their collection, and just as they specified, it was a full map of all Third Earth.

_"Alright, a deal's a deal, here's the map we agreed upon. Just like you wanted, it covers every corner of Third Earth, I hope the dust on it makes your eyes water when you blow it off, Thundercat" _said the Bull Bolkin Leader as he gave the map to Lion-O

_"Thank you very much" _said Lion-O, while smiling smugly; implying that he knew fully well that the Bull Bolkin leader was angry and only wanted to make him more mad.

The group made their way back to the Thundertank afterwards, but while they did so, Cheetara and Tygra got to talking-

_"One thing's still bothering me, though"_ said the Cheetah Cleric _"The Bull Bolkins attacked us while we were still on the outside of the Aresian Mountain range, why venture out of their own territory just to attack campers?"_

_"You heard the regular Bolkins; those people are savages. Who knows what their civilization considers to be logical?"_ Tygra replied

Once the TCats were out of hearing range, one of the Bull Bolkins approached his leader and said-

_"Master, I am so sorry about all of this"_

_"(Sighs) this is what I get for listening to you, Muvang; "challenge the Lion to a grapple match" you said, "Humiliate him while breaking his arm as a bonus" you said, "That will make the Cats sorry" you said. Oh yeah, Muvang, I'm sure that the Cats are feeling low right now. They'll probably spend all night crying in that map they won off of us!"_

_"Master, please…!" _said Muvang in a gravelling-type way

It was then that the Bull Bolkin leader dropped his anger and instead, sighed in defeat, before saying—

_"You know what, it doesn't matter now, what's done is done and, if nothing else, at least the Cats are leaving like they said. (Snorts angrily) I just wish that I could have done more to make those furry little runts hurt for what they did to us!"_

_"(Clears throat) yeah, about that, Master; forgive me for saying so, but are sure that those Cats were the ones we came looking for?" _Said another Bull Bolkin as his statement caught the attention of the Bull Bolkin leader

_"Why do you ask" _the Bull Bolkin leader replied in an almost menacing fashion

_"Well, sir, it just that when you claimed to be the only one who got a good look at the creature that attacked us earlier, you said that he was hooded figure dressed in a blue cloak. None of those Cats were wearing a blue cloak or anything resembling a blue cloak for that matter" _said the third Bull Bolkin

_"Well, of course not, you fool; the Cat responsible for that attack knew we would come after him, so in hopes of throwing us off the trail, he abandoned his blue cloak and tried to evade us by blending in with the other Cats. It's just that simple"_

The other Bull Bolkins weren't entirely convinced by their leader's reasoning, but that didn't stop him from continuing with-

_"…Anyway, let's get back up to the mountains"_

- While giving the order to head back up. But he did so with his left hand, because his right one was still sore from his bout Lion-O.

Meanwhile, from a far away distance, the two sides were both being watched by the same hooded figure from before, and considering how torn and dirty her robes were, it could be assumed that this was the person who attacked the Bull Bolkins and led them to the TCats. Anyway, the figure looked upon the two groups as they all went their separate ways and then went off in another direction in a very mysterious fashion.

We next see her approaching a part of the mountain side, where she then used a small rock to carve a strange and ancient looking design onto the stone wall. Once the design was finished, the hooded figure just backed away as the design she just drew started to glow and float off the mountainside altogether. Once it was in midair, the design quickly transformed into glowing green circle that only showed a pair of bright blue human eyes. And from out of this circle… came a voice.

_"Ah, my lost soul, I was just thinking about you. I assume that everything went well on your end, yes?"_ is what the voice said, and the sheer tone of it would indicate that it was an elderly woman who was speaking.

_"It went exactly as said, Milady"_ said the hooded figure after she bowed her head to the glowing circle _"But, I have to be honest with you, it didn't exactly do wonders for my conscience to actually attack the Bull Bolkins and then lead them right to the Thundercats, just so that they could have a possibly dangerous contest of strength. The whole thing felt kind of…wrong"_

_"And I can understand those feelings, my child, but I assure you, it was a necessary action to take. As the Tiger Prince himself put it; Lion-O needed this victory if he was going to be able to carry on after…well you know"_

_"Yeah, I do, however, I'm still not sure that this type of "victory" was enough to make all of the damage done in Avista just go away. If it even can just go away…"_

_"Fret not, my dear, our plan is in motion and the Thundercats are on the right track now, we just need to be patient for now. Soon, the truth will come out and when it does, the healing for our young Lion can truly begin"_

_"…What about Mumm-Ra, how did things work out with him?"_

_"I've managed to delay him by crippling his fleet, but I fear it will not be long before his forces are up and running again. (Snickers) fortunately, finding the next stone is last thing on his mind right now"_

_"You mean…?"_

_"That's right, my child, he knows it was me, and with any luck, his hunt for me will buy Lion-O and his friends all the time they need. But for right now, I want you to go back to the village and await further instructions. And tell the others to do the same while you're at it"_

The hooded figure then got down on her knees and said-

_"Yes, milady"_

Meanwhile, the Thundercats had returned to the Thundertank, and when they were there, they activated the Book of Omens once again and then compared the next stone's location to their newly acquired map of Third Earth. However, much to their surprise, they discover that the next stone's location is in the middle of the Great Sea.

**_(Episode Ends)_**


	2. The Ghosts of the Past

**Episode 28- The Ghosts of the Past**

It was a quiet morning in a quiet, thick forest of Third Earth. But that quiet was soon broken by the humming sound of Hovercrafts. It was Slithe and the other Generals; they were all riding the same type of vehicle they used in "Trials of Lion-O Part One", but the strange thing was it was just them. No Lizard army, no tanks, just Slithe, Kaynar, Addicus and Vultaire, no one else. Well, there was also Pumyra, who, by the way, was now sporting a new suit of armor that greatly resembled the one worn by Grune. The two main differences between them were that Pumyra's armor was silver instead of gold and was clearly more feminine and lighter in design.

Any way, the four Generals and the rogue Thundercat were soon accompanied in the air by the Storm-Charger, which could only mean that Mumm-Ra was traveling with them as well. Eventually, they all found a nice place to land, and since it was shaded enough by the trees, Mumm-Ra was free to emerge from his mobile Sarcophagus in the usual dramatic fashion.

_"The source of all our troubles is within this forest, my generals, I can feel it"_ said the evil Mummy as he looked at his surroundings

_"Are you sure, Master? There doesn't seem to be much going on in this forest. I barely even hear any wildlife" _asked Pumyra as she approached the undead sorcerer

_"I am absolutely sure, Pumyra, the force that attacked my Pyramid might have been different from my own magic. But it was also very similar, and that alone is enough for me to track by."_

_"I still don't understand what we're doing out here!"_ said Vultaire as he and the other Generals approached Mumm-Ra _"We know who has the last stone, we know where to find them, and if we weren't wasting our time here, we could be helping to repair the fleet so we could go and retrieve it. Isn't it more important for us to…?"_

But before the smug vulture could finish his sentence, he was immediately blasted flat on his back by Mumm-Ra, who then said-

_"What's "important", Vultaire, is that my ancient enemy be dealt with as soon as possible before everything I have achieved since my return goes up in smoke"_

_"And who exactly is this "ancient enemy" of yours, Lord Mumm-Ra?"_ asked Slithe

_"A truly powerful being, General Slithe, one who, I dare say, wields a power that actually rivals my own"_

_"What? Is-is that even possible?" _

_"…Though it pains me to say so, Pumyra, yes. That is why we must find her straight away, for as long as she is alive, all of my best laid plans are now in jeopardy!"_

_""Her", "she", this is a girl we're talking about?"_ said Kaynar with a slight maniacal chuckle _"So, the great and powerful Mumm-Ra can handle Lions and Tigers, but he's powerless against some lady with a few parlor tricks? (Cackles insanely)"_

However, Kaynar's psychotic joy was cut short when Mumm-Ra zapped him just like he did Vultaire. Still, Mumm-Ra managed maintain his aloof attitude as he said-

_"The Thundercats are nothing more than a minor nuisance that can be dealt with at any time. But this "lady with parlor tricks" as you call her, is a very serious threat, and one I cannot allow to stand in my way for even one moment"_

_"(Hooping) well, if that's the case, than why only bring the five of us? Why not the entire army (hooping)?"_ asked Addicus as helped Kaynar up

_"Because, if I am to truly destroy my enemy, I must do it with surprise, and that means keeping the group small and agile. (Chuckling) knowing her, she probably attacked my Pyramid, thinking that I wouldn't be able to track her power afterwards. Well, her carelessness is about to be her downfall. Now, come along, everyone, we've wasted enough time already, we have some hunting to do" _

The five animals did not hesitate to obey their leader's command as they followed him into the thick, dark forest, especially Pumyra. However, while they were all doing all of this, even Mumm-Ra failed to notice that they were being watched from afar by a small, white dove-like bird with bright blue eyes. The small bird looked upon all of the villains with great interest, until its eyes began to glow and it decided to fly away.

Meanwhile, back at the area near the BolkinVillage, The TCats were still all pondering their next move in retrieving the last stone. Especially since they just learned that it rests somewhere in the GreatSea.

_"(Moans) first the Spirit Stone was in some weird, other dimension; then the Tech Stone was on some floating city, and now the last stone is somewhere underwater?"_ Groaned Panthro as he and the others looked at the next Stone's current location on the Book of Omens hologram _"(Sighs) just once, couldn't at least one of those blasted stones have been somewhere on the ground?"_

(No doubt, Panthro has still not gotten over his fear of the water)

_"Okay, we know where the last stone is now, but who has it this time?"_ Asked Cheetara, paying Panthro's complaining no mind

_"I remember seeing in the Book of Omens, that Mumm-Ra had a race of fish creatures under his command. "Tiger Sharks" he called them. They seemed a bit wild, but were definitely strong"_ replied Lion-O

_"Then I guess it's a safe bet that they're the ones who have the last stone"_ said Tygra

Lion-O nodded at this prospect, right before he said _"Let's not waste another moment waiting, Panthro, get us back to the Feliner, we're leaving right now"_

The old panther nodded at the young lion monarch and the TCats were soon on their way again. However, during the ride, WilyKit, Cheetara and Snarf were all quick to notice that their young leader was looking despondent…again. This time he was sitting further away from everyone else on the Thundertank's bridge and was looking, almost obsessively, at his Gauntlet and the pink power stone that was embedded within it.

This made the two female Cats and cat-creature very concerned, but their silent observing was soon interrupted by Cheetara's mate-

_"Still feeling bad for Lion-O, ladies?"_ is what he said

_"(Sighs) after what's happened to him so far, I can't help but feel sorry for him"_ replied Cheetara

_"Me too"_ WilyKit added

_"Uh, the bigger question here isn't why they're feeling sorry for Lion-O, Tygra, it's why you aren't?"_ said WilyKat as he joined the conversation

_"Because he's always so dramatic about these things, Kat, and he knows that as well as anyone else. Sure, he's upset now, but I give him another day, two at the most, then he'll be back to his old footloose and carefree personality"_ the Tiger explained, obviously confidant of what he just said.

_"Uh, you do all realize that he can hear every word you're saying, right?"_ said Panthro while driving.

But that was when Lion-O nonchalantly responded with-

_"No he can't"_

-right before he got up and walked off to a more secluded part of the moving tank. His subordinates watched him with concern while he did this, and once he was out of hearing range, Cheetara turned towards her Tiger and said-

_"I hope you're right about this not lasting long, Tygra, for his sake"_

However, the look on Tygra's face implied that he himself was starting to wonder.

Anyway, Lion-O soon arrived at the Cargo bay and then found a nice place to sit down as he went back to looking at the Spirit Stone in his gauntlet.

_"I just can't wrap my head around it, we have two power stones and yet Mumm-Ra manages to keep us on the run with only one"_ the young Lion said as he looked at the pink stone _"Maybe we'd have a better chance against him if you could do more than just create spirit shields! (Sighs) some times, I wonder if you're really all that useful at all"_

(Clearly, Lion-O was too angry to remember that the Spirit Stone can also bring the dead back to life)

Suddenly, the Spirit Stone started glow and began to generate a mass amount of pink, spiritual energy that started to spread all over the Cargo bay. Eventually, it engulfed Lion-O and when it was all over, Lion-O was shocked to discover that he was in a vacuous, violet-colored void that glowed in a way similar to Spirit Stone.

He was a little worried for a moment, but that's when the violet-color void transformed into a different surrounding: the desert around Mumm-Ra's pyramid. However, the moment Lion-O saw the large crowd of animals that was assembled around the Black Pyramid; he knew that this could not have been present day. In fact, not only was this right after Mumm-Ra's ship crashed on Third Earth, it was the exact moment when the four Power Stones were being fought over.

Lion-O was a bit confused by all of this, but was even more confused by the fact that no one seemed to notice him. He reached over to touch the shoulder of a Dog, but ended up passing through the canine instead. It didn't take long for Lion-O to figure out that he was a ghost here, so he just stood there and watched the events of the past play out.

_"Enough!"_ yelled a young, long-haired, Lion dressed in a black and blue uniform with a red disc on his chest _"All of this arguing is getting us nowhere. We need to come to an agreement"_

Lion-O was quick to recognize this Lion as his ancestor, Leo, former Commander of Mumm-Ra's forces. And standing right there next to him was his lieutenant and Love interest, Panthera.

_"Look, we all know how powerful the Stones are when they're all used together. No Animal should be allowed to have that much power"_ Said Shen, leader of the Dogs

_"That may be, but we can't just leave them all here in Mumm-Ra's ship. I don't even want to think about what could happen if we did that"_ said an unnamed Rat (who, like the rest of his kind, wore no yellow prison uniform like the other animals for some reason)

_"(Growls) it kills me to say this, but the Rat is right"_ said an unnamed Tiger Shark (who, like the rest of _his_ kind, also wore no prison uniform for some reason)

_"Yes, someone must protect these stones, but not all four"_ said Rezard, leader of the Lizards

_"Then it's agreed, we'll divide the stones among each other equally in order to protect them. But the question still remains; which species gets which stone?"_ said Shen

_"The War Stone has already been made a part of the Sword of Omens…"_ said Leo as he held up his sword to illustrate his point

_"…And since the Cats were the ones who forged this weapon, it seems only fair that we be the ones to guard it"_ continued Panthera

_"(Scoffs) how fitting, the Cats are going to guard the one Stone whose only real purpose is spreading violence. Somehow that suits your kind perfectly"_ said Rezard with a smile, as Leo and Panthera just growled angrily at the comment

_"The Birds will watch over the Tech Stone. Its power has given our people a limitless amount of ideas…for science, of course (chuckles nervously)"_ said the unnamed leader of the Birds

_"My people will the take the "Blue Diamond", we were the ones who retrieved it after all"_ said the Tiger Shark leader

_"Well, I guess that just leaves the Spirit Stone then"_ said the leader of the Rats as he approached the Spirit Stone _"Well, if nobody wants it, we'll just take…"_

But before the Rat could finish that sentence, the large leader of the Monkeys came charging up at him and knocked him down, saying-

_"Claws off, vermin, if anyone deserves this stone it's the Monkeys"_

_"The Monkeys…? Ha! The Lizards were the ones who were forced to retrieve it; we should be the ones to take it!"_ said Rezard

_"Correction, Rezard, the Lizards were the ones who found it, the Dogs were the ones who retrieved it"_ said Shen

_"(Clears Throat) with respect, Commander Leo, I highly doubt that it would be safe to leave one of these…Barbarians in charge of Spirit Stone"_ said the Rat leader as he got up from being knocked down

_"(Hooping) well there's no way it would be safe with you miserable rodents either (hooping)"_ said the Monkey leader _"At least the Monkeys will be able to keep it safe in the Treetops"_

_"The treetops, (chuckles) how very much like a primitive barbarian. That's about as safe a place as any the Lizards would choose"_ said Shen

_"Watch your tone, mongrel, or I'll-"_ said Rezard as he began to growl

_"—you'll what, my Lizard friend…?" _said Shen as he began to growl as well

Soon, the rest of Rezard's people started to join him in growling, as did Shen and his people, the Rats and the Monkeys. It looked like there was going to be a four-way rumble between the Lizards, the Rats, the Monkeys and Dogs.

_(Commercial Break)_

The four Animal species were all ready to tear each other apart, but before they could, Leo and Panthera rushed in to stop them before they went too far.

_"That's enough, all of you"_ said the young Lion _"We defeated Mumm-Ra and obtained our freedom by working together, we must not start fighting amongst ourselves now!"_

The four animal leaders knew that Leo was right so they all stood down from battle, though the Lizards did so begrudgingly.

_"It's clear now that the last stone is not safe with any of you"_ said Panthera as she grabbed the Spirit Stone and looked at the four Animal species.

_"Well then, perhaps we should take it"_ said a voice that came behind Leo and Panthera

The two cats looked behind them at that moment and saw that it was the leader of the Elephants who said this.

_"Give it to us, Leo, and I vow that the Elephants will keep it safe for all time"_ the lead Pachyderm said as he reached his hand out to Panthera, hoping she would give him the stone.

Leo and Panthera looked at each other for brief moment, but then, Panthera complied with the Elephant's gesture and gave him the Spirit Stone. The Rats, Dogs and Lizards all looked pretty angry about this, but it was the Monkeys who were looking particularly cheesed off. They even growled to show it.

Lion-O watched all of this from his current position and, quite frankly, he was amazed. He now knew exactly why each stone was given to its respective guardian and also knew for sure that the Tiger Sharks had the last Stone. However, he wasn't quite sure of why he was being shown all of this, so he kept watching in hopes of finding that out.

The vision then shifted to a considerable amount of time afterwards, when the Elephants were building their village. The leader was overseeing all of the construction, but half of his attention was on the Spirit Stone, which he was using as a necklace. He was just so enamored by its beauty.

Eventually, he was approached by his female right-hand and she said-

_"Admiring the Spirit Stone again, Grunesh?"_

"_Well, can you blame me, Kali? Look at it"_ Grunesh replied as he showed his right-hand pachyderm the Spirit Stone _"It's just so beautiful, and look what it can do…"_

That's when Grunesh held the Spirit Stone up in the air and summoned its unnatural power. Soon, he was encased in a dome of pink energy, until he lowered the Stone and de-materialized it altogether.

_"Marvelous, simply marvelous" _

Kali showed no real signs of being impressed by this, but Grunesh didn't even have the time to notice this, let alone question it. Because, at that very moment, Grunesh heard the sound of rope breaking and saw that it was a rope being used to hoist up a large, stone block. As it fell, Grunesh shielded the Elephants beneath it with a Spirit shield just in the nick of time, much to their relief.

_"…Also, it has proven to be quite useful for our people"_ Grunesh continued

_"Grunesh, I agree that the Spirit Stone has amazing and helpful powers. But I'm beginning to think that you're becoming a bit too enamored by it"_ replied Kali as she held the Spirit Stone in her thick fingers _"Remember, we were given this stone to protect it, not abuse its power for our own needs"_

But Grunesh just grabbed the Spirit Stone back and angrily said-

_"Oh, come now, Kali, do you really think that the Cats aren't "abusing" their Stone, or the Sharks and Birds with theirs? Why should my people be afraid to use the Spirit Stone's power, while all the other Animals use their newfound stones to better their lot?"_

_"Mark my words, Grunesh: power like this was not meant to be used in such a manner. If not used with moderation, trouble will not be far behind"_ replied Kali in a tone that implied she was getting angry

The female Elephant walked away after that and Grunesh just went back to looking obsessively at his beloved Power Stone. Lion-O was surprised to have seen this; the Elephants he met would never have behaved in such a manner. Regardless, the vision kept going, as it shifted to nighttime that very day, and showed Grunesh sleeping with the Spirit Stone still around his neck.

He was sleeping rather peacefully, and because of that, the lead Elephant failed to notice that someone, quietly, came into his chambers and stealthily removed the Spirit Stone from his neck. The thief made off with the precise Stone and no one even noticed the robbery. However, when Lion-O saw how the thief moved, he had a pretty good idea of who it was, or at least he knew _what_ the thief was.

Back in the physical world, Lion-O's body was just lying where he was sitting a few moments earlier, while the Spirit Stone glowed brightly. Not unlike what happened during the Trials, actually. However, this time the young king just gave the impression that he was sleeping rather than he was dead.

Meanwhile, back in the thick forest elsewhere, Mumm-Ra and his 5 minions were still walking through the woods with Mumm-Ra, of course, in the lead. But while Mumm-Ra, Pumyra, Slithe, Kaynar and Addicus were all having no problems walking through the forest, Vultaire was having a bit of trouble himself.

_"(Groans) this filth; the bugs; the mud; we never had any of this on Avista"_

_"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, Bird man, this isn't Avista"_ said Pumyra in a cold tone

_"(Hooping) welcome to how we feral barbarians live (hooping)"_ Joked Addicus as Pumyra just smiled at it

But the duo's merrymaking was soon interrupted by Slithe when he said-

_"Keep in line, all of you! We're here on business; remember?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, keep your headpiece on, Scaly"_ replied Pumyra in a semi sarcastic tone

_"Watch your tone, Cat!"_ said Slithe, in obvious anger at Pumyra's comment _"You've already died once, it can just as easily happen again"_

Pumyra, however, was not intimidated, as she just looked the Lizard General in the eyes and said-

_"Is that a fact?"_

-before growling at him just as he growled her

_"That's enough, you two! We came here to put an end to real threat, not each other!"_ said Mumm-Ra as he stopped (if you'll pardon the expression) dead in his tracks _"And I can feel the presence of that threat, even now, we have arrived"_

But Slithe and Pumyra saw nothing around them, nor did Vultaire, Kaynar and Addicus.

_"Are you sure this is the right place? Because I certainly don't see anything"_ said Addicus as he surveyed his surroundings

_"(Sniffing the air) I don't smell anything either"_ said Kaynar as he sniffed the area again _"There's nobody here but us"_

Little did the generals know, however, that there was something there, they just couldn't see it. But Mumm-Ra could sense it.

_"There is something else here, I am sure of it, search the area, all of you"_ the evil Mummy commanded as his minions obeyed

They all went in groups of two, Slithe went with Kaynar, Vultaire went with Addicus and Pumyra stuck with Mumm-Ra. But once Kaynar and Slithe were alone, Kaynar smelled something suspicious.

_"What is it, Kaynar? What do you smell?"_ asked Slithe

_"(Sniffing) I'm not sure, (sniffing) but it smells familiar. (Sniffs) it smells like, (sniffs, then smiles wickedly) Cats"_

The Jackal and the Lizard proceeded to follow the scent that Kaynar smelled after that, until it, eventually, led them to an empty clearing. There, they looked and saw what appeared to be Panthro and Cheetara; both with their backs turned towards the two Generals.

Slithe and Kaynar both smiled wickedly at each other for a brief moment, as they moved in closer to the Cats with intent on ambushing them. Eventually, they were close enough, and when that happened, they leaped at the two Cats with weapons ready and ferocious hissing and growling.

_(Commercial Break)_

The two generals both leapt at their Feline targets, but once they did, the duo was surprised to see that their jumps landed them in the dirt without tackling anything. It was as if Panthro and Cheetara were never there at all.

The two Generals got up, of course, and when they did, they came across a few closed flowers. Their scent somehow enticed Kaynar, at least enough to draw him closer to them. That's when they all opened at once and started to release a cloud of green-colored pollen, pollen that nearly completely engulfed Kaynar and Slithe. They both coughed in response to this and their coughing soon attracted the attention of both Addicus and Vultaire, who were not too far away from their position. But once the vulture and monkey found them, the very pollen that infected Slithe and Kaynar, seeped over to them and made them cough as well.

Slithe and Kaynar were the first to stop coughing, and when they did, they looked around and, to their surprise; they were standing face-to-face with Panthro and Tygra. Needless to say, the two generals attacked without warning, and Kaynar even snarled while doing so.

Vultaire and Addicus eventually stopped their coughing as well, and when they did, they were surprised to see what looked like Lion-O and Cheetara coming right at them. The two generals managed to fight them off, but the "TCats" were very skilled, so much so that it was hard for them to take them down. Slithe and Kaynar were having the same problem; they fought well, but the "TCats" were significantly harder to take down this time.

All of this commotion attracted the attention of Mumm-Ra and Pumyra, who also weren't too far away. They carefully approached the "battlefield" and when they did, they were surprised to see that the four generals were fighting. However, it wasn't the Thundercats that tey were fighting, it was each other. Pumyra face-palmed herself after seeing this, but Mumm-Ra just looked angry and raised his hand to blast all four Generals with purple energy. After recovering from this, Slithe and the others were surprised to see that their Cat opponents were gone and the only ones there were themselves and Mumm-Ra and Pumyra.

_"Would anyone care to explain what just happened?"_ asked Mumm-Ra in a very annoyed tone

However, the looks on the Generals' faces would imply that they didn't have the foggiest idea of what just happened.

Meanwhile, back in Lion-O's vision, Lion-O watched as all of the Elephants searched frantically for the missing Spirit Stone, with no luck whatsoever. Eventually, Kali approached Grunesh in the midst of all this searching and said-

_"I don't understand Grunesh, how could you lose the Spirit Stone when you never put it down?"_

_"I didn't lose it, Kali, it was stolen" _

_"Stolen? Now, Grunesh, let's not jump to any conclusions"_

_"Oh, come now, Kali, we both know it's true! Who wouldn't want to steal such a powerful artifact? And when I find out who stole it, I'll-I'll…"_

However, before the angry Elephant could finish his rant, he heard a very familiar voice call out to him-

_"You'll what, Pachyderm? Blow your trumpet?"_

Grunesh and Kali both looked in the direction of where the voice came from and saw that it was none other than the Monkeys, all of them sitting on the roof of someone else's hut, with their leader now wearing the Spirit Stone necklace.

_"Looking for this, Pachyderm?"_ the Monkey leader gloated as he showed off the Spirit Stone in a very taunting way

_"You miserable primate, give me that stone or I'll…"_ yelled Grunesh as he attempted to approach the head simian

_"…You'll do nothing, foolish giant! I told Leo that the Monkeys were better suited for guarding this Stone, but no, instead, he chose you; a race that not only used the Stone for petty jewelry, but also could not even unlock its real powers."_

That last statement made Grunesh's eyes pop wide open, for it indicated that the Monkey leader knew something he didn't.

That was when the Monkey leader held up the Spirit Stone and made it glow, which caused another pink aura to appear around Grunesh himself. Suddenly, the Elephant leader found himself floating 3 inches above the ground as the Monkey leader just chuckled in a hooping sort of way.

This left Lion-O in a state of shock; he was now witnessing a new power of the Spirit Stone, one that never even occurred to him. And the sheer strength of it was incredible, as the Monkey leader was able to hoist the lead Pachyderm up even further and then throw him aside like he was little more than a sack filled with fruit. Kali tried to assault the Monkeys after that, but, of course, she too became a victim of the Spirit Stone's power. However, this time, instead of being lifted off the ground by a pink Aura, she was left flat on her back after being hit by a blast of pink Spirit energy, yet another power that never occurred to the young Lord of the Thundercats.

All of this made the other Elephants afraid to make a move towards the Monkeys and that made the invading simians very happy.

_"(Chuckles) I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you ignorant pachyderms wouldn't know the true nature of this stone"_ the Monkey leader gloated as he leapt from his spot on the hut roof and used the Spirit Stone to levitate himself safely to the ground. _"Have you never wondered how this item received the name "Spirit Stone"?"_

Grunesh had already pulled himself up by this point, but suddenly, he found himself being lifted up again.

_"It's because this stone takes the spiritual energy of all living things and turns it into power" _the Monkey leader continued, right before throwing Grunesh aside again _"Of course, to truly use this power, one must truly understand it, which is something you Elephants have failed to do"_

Grunesh looked upon the Monkey leader with anger, but the lead simian just walked away with a satisfied smirk. He then used the Spirit Stone to levitate himself again, but this time, it was so he could hover over towards his primate followers and say-

_"Let's go, boys, our business here is finished"_

The other Monkeys complied with their leader's orders and followed him as he levitated away. But just when it looked like the Monkeys finally got the better of the Elephants, something started to happen with the Spirit Stone. It started to glow more wildly than usual and the Monkey leader started to become surrounded with a fiery pink aura.

He didn't know what was going on, but it only got worse from that point on. The aura around simian warrior started to fire a barrage of pink energy all around him and the Monkey leader was feeling more and more discomfort with each and every blast. The Elephants and the Monkeys all scrambled for cover as the Energy blasts nearly hit a large number of them, but Grunesh just watched all of this with shock. Kali watched this from her position as well, though her reaction was less of shock and more of disappointment.

Lion-O didn't know how to react to all of this; he was witnessing the true power of the Spirit Stone, but he was also watching it bring about chaos and destruction.

Meanwhile, back in the dense forest, Mumm-Ra and his 5 minions were all standing in a vacant clearing, trying to get their bearings.

_"I don't understand why we're still here, Master, we've already searched nearly every square inch of this forest. There's nobody here but us"_ said Pumyra

_"No, Pumyra, she's here, I'm sure of it, I can feel…" _

However, before Mumm-Ra could finish that sentence, he heard the cooing noise of bird and noticed the small, dove-like bird that was sitting in a nearby tree. All he had to do was take a good look at the bird's bright blue eyes, and suddenly everything made sense to him. He even finished his earlier sentence with-

_"…it…"_

-before smiling wickedly as he raised his right hand…

He was just about ready to blast the bird out of existence at that point, but before he could, it flew away as fast as it could.

_"(Chuckles) that's right, my dear, run, run like the coward you are, it won't do you any good. One way or another, I will catch you"_ the evil Mummy said as he walked away

His followers were still at a loss though; "could this bird be Mumm-Ra's enemy?" they all thought. Regardless, Mumm-Ra just called out to them and said-

_"Let's go, everyone, we have someone else's wings to clip"_

Not wanting to go against Mumm-Ra's orders, Slithe and the others all followed their master as he headed back to the Storm-Charger. Though they were still all unsure of what just happened.

Meanwhile, back in Lion-O's vision, the Monkey leader was growing more and more in pain as the Spirit Stone's power began run amok all around him. Grunesh ran towards Kali to help her up, and when he did, he asked-

_"Kali, what's happening?"_

_"Oh, I was afraid of this"_

_"What are you talking about, Kali?"_

_"The Monkey leader was right when he said that the Spirit Stone draws its power from the spirits of others. But his spirit was too dark, too greedy. The Spirit Stone was never meant to be used like this, not without a proper conduit, like Leo or Mumm-Ra's gauntlets, at any rate."_

_"Well, can we stop it?"_

_"There might be one way, if someone else with a stronger spirit could grab hold of the stone, they might be able to break the connection between it and the Monkey and put an end to all of this madness"_

It was at that moment when Kali got back on her feet and gave the impression that she was going to go through with this plan. However, Grunesh stopped her in her tracks and said-

_"No, Kali, this is my fault. You were right, we were trusted to guard that stone, not abuse it for our own selfish ends. If anyone should be the one to take this risk, it should be me"_

Kali knew that her leader was right, so she stood down and allowed Grunesh to approach the aura enshrouded Monkey. Grunesh could feel the aggressive power surging all around him as he approached the simian, but regardless, he reached for the Spirit Stone and plucked it right off of the string that made it a necklace in the first place.

The after effects of doing this sent Elephant leader flying backwards with the Spirit Stone in hand. Once that deed was done, the Monkey leader ceased floating in midair and collapsed to ground, after the pink aura around him just vanished as quickly as it appeared. The Monkeys came out of hiding after this and proceeded to pick up their leader and leave the Elephant village with him in tow.

Grunesh watched them as they did so, but then turned his attention towards the destruction done to the Elephant village. Kali walked up to him as he looked at the Spirit Stone with grief, and she said-

_"It's over, Grunesh"_

_"So much trouble caused by one stone, and it was all caused by that Monkey's spirit"_ replied Grunesh in a sad tone

_"The spirit of a living thing is a powerful force indeed, Grunesh, and that makes the Spirit Stone a very powerful artifact"_

_"You were right all along, Kali, we were meant to guard this stone, not abuse it, and that's what we will do from this point forward"_ the lead Pachyderm said as he gripped the stone in his hand _"Furthermore, we must learn from this day, we will embrace the power of the spirit, but never abuse it"_

Lion-O smiled as he saw this, but then he was caught off-guard by a familiar voice telling him-

_"—and Grunesh was true to his word, Lion-O"_

The young Lion turned around and saw that the person talking to him was none other than the spirit of Jaga himself

_"Jaga"_ is what he said after seeing the late head cleric

_"After that fateful day, the Elephants dedicated their lives to detaching themselves from worldly concerns and attempted to become one with the spiritual energy that nearly laid their civilization lo"_ Jaga continued

_"So, all this time, the source of the Spirit Stone's power was my own spirit"_

_"Yes, learn well from what you've seen today, Lion-O, for in the end, it is your spirit, and the power that it possesses, that will help you accomplish your goal" _

And with that, Jaga vanished and Lion-O reawakened back in his own body and saw that he never left the Cargo hold. He was still trying to take in all that just happened, but then, he heard a loud thud coming from the outside and rushed out of the Cargo hold to see what the problem was.

Apparently, the Thundertank was sitting in a pass between two cliff sides and was covered on the front half by a pile of rocks. No doubt from a rockslide that he missed. Panthro and Tygra were trying to move the stones, but were having little to no success. That's when the Cats all noticed that Lion-O was outside with them and Tygra said-

_"Where have you been?"_

_"Well, I, uh…"_ Lion-O started, still not sure how to explain his vision just yet

_"Never mind, just help us get these blasted rocks off the Thundertank"_ Panthro interrupted as he continued to try and push the rocks away.

It was then that Lion-O looked down at his gauntleted left hand and smiled as he hoisted it up and proceeded to activate the Spirit Stone's power. Suddenly, the rocks on the Thundertank started to float into the air and were all blasted out of existence by the Spirit Stone, much to the surprise of the other Cats, especially when they saw that it was Lion-O who was doing all of this. Tygra and Panthro were both surprised even further when a pink aura covered them both and they found themselves being hoisted off the Thundertank and onto the ground.

_"How did you…? Where did you…?"_ stammered Cheetara

But Lion-O's only response was—

_"I guess I just learned a new trick"_

After that, the TCats all headed back into the Thundertank and continued to drive off back to the Feliner.

_(Episode Ends)_

**Note: I know, not a very good story, but I was mainly focused on the subplot about Mumm-Ra's search so I didn't really think this episode through.**


	3. Balance of Power

**Episode 29- Balance of Power**

The story begins in the open sky, where the Feliner could easily be seen flying through the air. As usual, Tygra was at the controls while Cheetara and Lion-O sat in the two chairs next to him. Snarf and the Twins sat in the passenger seats and Panthro manned the instruments (anything to keep him away from the windows).

There was complete silence on the bridge of the Feliner, but eventually, that silence was broken when Tygra looked at Lion-O and said-

_"So, just so we're clear, Lion-O, the vision you saw, it proved that we were right, right?"_

_"Yep, the last stone is definitely with the Tigersharks, Tygra, just like we thought."_ Lion-O replied

_"And did you manage to find out what this stone actually does while you were at it?"_ asked Panthro

_"'Fraid not, in fact, all I could find out about this last stone was that, apparently, the Sharks were the ones who retrieved it"_

_"Well, the Elephants were a "spiritual" culture and the Birds were big on technology. Maybe the last stone benefits the Tigersharks in someway"_ Cheetara concluded

_"Like how, it makes flash floods or something?"_ said Panthro, much to the annoyance of Cheetara, who was now looking at the general with a look of annoyance

"_I think she was referring to how it might be benefitting their civilization, Panthro"_ Tygra replied, who was now sharing his mate's look of annoyance

_"If it even is benefitting their civilization"_ Lion-O added _"For all we know, the Sharks could've had just as much trouble with their stone as the Elephants did with theirs. And judging from what I saw in my vision; that was a lot"_

_"Well, if that is the case, then we'll have no trouble getting the stone from them. Which reminds me, Cheetara, how long until we get to the stone's location anyway?" _replied Tygra

It was at that moment that Cheetara brought out the full map of Third Earth and observed the group's current bearings.

_"Hmm, given our current position, I'd say we'll be there within…5 days, if we stay on schedule that is" _

_"Then we will stay on schedule, no more distractions"_ Lion-O replied

However, right after Lion-O said that, the TCats all quickly noticed that the Feliner was flying right into a large storm cloud. Once the airship was inside the large cloud, everything went dark.

_"Well that was out of nowhere"_ said WilyKat in a nonchalant kind of way

Suddenly, the thunder and lightning started to act up, and when that happened, the Cats all became a little bit unsettled. Mainly because the crackling bolts of lightning were drawling dangerously close to the Feliner. They were so worried about all of this; they barely even noticed that the lightning was colored a shade of green for some reason. Tygra did his best to keep the ship as far away from the lightning as possible, but it was not an easy task.

_"Easy now, Tygra, just take it easy"_ is what Lion-O said while his brother did so

(Lightning is always drawn to the tallest object after all)

But right after the Feliner narrowly dodges a very large lightning bolt, and the Cats all take a moment to sigh in relief, a much smaller one lands a direct hit on the airship's wing. The electricity from that one hit was so strong; it surged through the entire airship, making all of the Feliner's instruments go crazy. Some of them even started to break and smoke.

_"What's happening?"_ asked WilyKat

_"Why are we shaking?"_ his sister added

_"It was that blast of lightning, it's making all of the instruments go haywire!"_ replied Panthro as one of said instruments broke right in front of him

It didn't take the Cats long to figure out that they were in trouble, especially when they felt the Feliner start to lose its momentum.

_"Brace yourselves, we're going down!"_ yelled Cheetara as the Feliner began to head towards the ground below.

Tygra tried to hold the Feliner steady as best he could and, eventually, it paid off. It was a bumpy ride, but the Tiger prince managed to land the Feliner safely on the ground (relatively speaking that is).

_"Heh, guess I can land pretty well too, eh, Panthro?"_ is what Tygra said afterwards

(Obviously a callback to what Panthro said in "What Lies Above part 2")

The spot that the TCats landed in was a clearing outside a nearby forest, and right after they landed, the storm cloud above them just vanished, as mysteriously as it came. Lion-O saw this and it made him a little concerned

The TCats inspected the damage done to their airship and Panthro and Tygra attempted to fix it. But, unfortunately, after the thrashing the Feliner took, this was not an easy task, even for them.

_"So, how bad is the damage, you guys?"_ Lion-O asked

_"Well, the good news is; the ship's hull didn't get too banged up from the landing. But the bad news is; that bolt of lightning really did a number on the Feliner's insides"_ answered Panthro as he lifted open a hatch and allowed some smoke to escape to prove his point.

_"But, you both can fix it, right?"_ asked Cheetara as she walked up to Lion-O's side

_"Well, between the two of us, yes, but it'll take some time, and that might not be something we have much of"_ Tygra answered

_"(Sighs) great, one step forward then two steps back, story of my life"_ said Lion-O in a very angry yet despondent voice _"Can anything else go wrong?"_

Then, as if in direct response to Lion-O's question, the young Lord of the Thundercats noticed something rustling in the bushes nearby the crash sight. Cheetara and the Kittens noticed this as well and when they joined their king in approaching said bushes, they were shocked to see that it was a none other than a Lizard soldier. He hissed angrily at the Cats after being spotted, but right after he did, the Lizard quickly made a run for it into the forest.

_"If there are any more Lizards around, we can't let him warn them, after him!"_ Lion-O roared as the others followed him into the woods. _"Panthro, stay here and guard the ship"_

Panthro complied and stayed with the Feliner, ready for action, just in case this was a trick.

The Tcats followed the Lizard closely and eventually they managed to cut him off, thanks to Cheetara. But before they could detain him, the Lizard displayed a level of agility and stamina not normally known to his species and briefly overpowered the Cats. Even Cheetara was in awe.

_"Okay, even I'll admit, I'm impressed"_ is what the Cheetah said, as her Mate and king both helped her up

Afterwards, the Tcats all continued to pursue the Lizard, without even noticing the most interesting fact about him: he was unarmed. That's right, this Lizard had no blaster, he had no rifle; he didn't even have a club or anything. He was completely unarmed. However, that fact didn't stop him from snickering a bit as he looked back and saw the Tcats pursuing him. Apparently, weapons or no weapons, he was doing exactly what he was trying to do.

Meanwhile, in another woodland area somewhere else, Mumm-Ra's Storm-Charger was making its way through the forest at a very rapid rate. Slithe and the others were following closely on their hovercraft, but the whole time, Vultaire did not stop complaining-

_"Ugh, another filthy, insect infested forest…? We've already searched two of these already and have still yet to find anything. I'm beginning to believe that Mumm-Ra's only real goal is to intentionally expose me to every form of disease on Third Earth"_

_"Oh, what's the matter, Vultaire, afraid you'll actually have to do some real work?"_ said Pumyra in a chastising voice

_"(Scoff) what do you know about work, Cat? You've done little more than serve as Mumm-Ra's personal pet since the fall of Avista"_ Vultaire replied _"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he made you clean his wings later"_

This made Pumyra growl and show off her new weapons (razor sharp blades that extend from her armored gauntlets) as she held them up to Vultaire's neck and replied-

_"Keep talking, vultureman, and you won't have any wings!"_

_"Knock it off, you two!"_ Slithe interrupted _"Lord Mumm-Ra is stopping; we must be at the right place"_

_"(Scoffs) that's what you said about the last forest we investigated" _said Vultaire as he and the rest of the crew got off their hovercraft and approached the Storm-Charger, just in time for Mumm-Ra to exit it. The evil mummy then inhaled and exhaled after coming out and said-

_"I can sense my enemy's presence, generals, she is nearby, and clearly still on the move"_

_"(Moans) when isn't she on the move, this is the third forest we've searched in 12 hours and I have yet to actually see this enemy of yours"_ Vultaire lamented, up until Mumm-Ra silenced him by, once again, blasting him.

_"That's because she is afraid of me, Vultaire, she knows that her end is at hand and she is afraid to face me like a warrior" _

_"With respect, Lord Mumm-Ra, you still have not told us the nature of this enemy of yours"_ said Slithe

_"That's true (hooping), we don't even know what her name is or even what she looks; who is she? (Hooping)"_ added Addicus

_"They'll be plenty of time for explanations after my enemy is no more, my dear Monkey. Now come along, we are definitely close to her location" _

Mumm-Ra and his followers kept on moving after that, but what they didn't know was that a trio of strange creatures was watching them from the treetops. They all remained in the shadows, but they also looked armed and looked like they were planning on doing something to the undead warlord and his horde.

Meanwhile, the Tcats were still chasing the one Lizard soldier, but, eventually, he was starting to get further ahead of them.

_"Hurry, we can't lose him"_ Lion-O called out as he and the other Cats started to pick up the pace, as it were.

However, once he was far enough away, the Lizard chuckled one last time before actually vanishing into thin air. The Thundercats did not get to see this however, so they kept on running, still believing that their quarry was still right in front of them. Eventually, the group arrived at a clearing within the forest and when they did, they found something far more shocking and breathtaking than any Lizard Soldier: a pyramid, a white pyramid.

_(Commercial Break)_

The Thundercats were, understandably, left in awe at this amazing structure, so much so that they had almost completely forgotten about the Lizard they were chasing.

_"It's- it's amazing"_ said Cheetara as she and others approached the Pyramid

_"Yeah, but, what is it?" _replied Lion-O

_"Uh, it's a pyramid, Lion-O, a common geometrical shape that has four sides, four corners and a square or triangle ba…"_ said Tygra, semi sarcastically

_"I know what a pyramid is, Tygra, what I meant was what is this one doing way out here?"_ replied Lion-O as he cut his brother off

_"It must be the ancient remnants of some lost civilization or something"_ Cheetara added as she and the others all got closer and closer to the Pyramid.

_"Well, if that's true, then where are all the other ruins?"_ asked WilyKat

_"And if this pyramid is a ruin, then why does it look so – taken care of?"_ his sister added

_"Hmm, good questions"_ replied Cheetara

_"And here's another, why does this pyramid look so—familiar?" _

Lion-O was right to say this, you see, because once you get passed the forest background and the bright coloring, this Pyramid looked almost exactly like Mumm-Ra's temple.

However, before anyone could answer their leader, Tygra noticed something and said-

_"In more ways than one"_

The other Tcats all looked in the same direction as Tygra at that moment and saw that a small group of Lizards was heading towards the north side of the Pyramid.

_"More Lizards?"_ asked WilyKat

_"This must be some kind of camp for their army"_ Cheetara replied

_"Then let's take them out"_ Tygra continued as he got out his whip

However, that's when his brother stopped him and said-

_"Hold on, there has to be a reason for why they would need all of this space. Let's find out what that reason is first, and then we can go get Panthro and Thundertank for a little surprise of our own"_

The other Cats knew that their king was right, so they complied with his plan, and swiftly and silently followed the Lizard soldiers as they entered through the White Pyramid's main entrance.

Meanwhile, back at the Feliner, Panthro was still on high alert. But with no one to fight; all he really did was pace on top of the airship's wing.

_"Hmm, still no sign of any other Lizards, I guess the one the others chased off was just a straggler" _is what the old Panther said as he put his Nunchucks away

However, that feeling of peace quickly changed when old general heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby bush (not the same one as before, a different bush). He went over to investigate and even readied his Nunchucks in case it was an enemy, but in actuality, the bush wasn't shaking because someone was hiding behind it, it was shaking because three unnaturally green roots were actually moving on their own to shake it by the stem. And if that wasn't weird enough, while the old panther was inspecting the rustling bushes, the airship behind him started to glow with a mysterious green aura. Suddenly, as if by magic, all of the damage done to the Feliner's hull just went away and the airship looked like it never went down at all. Panthro didn't notice this until after the process was finished and the green glow was gone, but even then, he still could not believe his eyes. He approached the now fixed airship to inspect it, and when he did, he couldn't find a single thing wrong with it. Not even a single mud stain.

He went inside to check the instruments and saw that they were all fixed as well, all the damage that was there before was completely repaired, even all the glass pieces that shattered. The old general tried to start the Feliner and when he did, the insides sounded like they were working perfectly. All Panthro could say at that point was-

_"Okay, I don't know what just happened, but whatever it was, I'm glad it did"_

Meanwhile, back in the other forest elsewhere, Mumm-Ra and his minions were all still walking through the woodland area with their weapons ready for battle. But soon enough, they all stopped when Mumm-Ra halted them and said-

_"Hold, the power that I have been tracking ends right here, we have arrived" _

However, when Pumyra and the others all started to look around, they saw nothing but the trees.

_"We have?"_ said Pumyra

_"Yes"_ Mumm-Ra replied as he pointed up towards the treetops _"There, up in the treetops"_

This made Addicus particularly happy, as he just smiled and said-

_"Sounds like the perfect job for me (hooping)"_

And with that, Addicus scurried up into the trees with the greatest of ease and eventually vanished into the treetops.

_"Ha, this is where being a Bird comes in handy"_ said Vultaire, as he spread his wings and flew into the treetops after Addicus

Mumm-Ra allowed them to do this, but not because he thought Addicus and Vultaire would succeed. He knew that they would be no match for his "enemy". But he did believe that Addicus and Vultaire would draw his enemy out into the open so that he could finish her himself. So, he anxiously waited for the sounds of a struggle and for his enemy to finally show herself. However, what he got instead was the sound of both Addicus and Vultaire screaming, as if they were under attack by a monster. The two of them both fell from the trees at that point and when they did, Addicus looked like he had just been pummeled vigorously and Vultaire had both of his wings tied up with bolas.

Mumm-Ra was completely at a loss about this, and it showed in the way he said—

_"What?"_

However before he could ask the Monkey and the vulture what happened, several lines of rope came falling down from the treetops and the ones who threw said ropes came sliding down within mere seconds. They revealed themselves to be a tribe of primitively dressed females, and all of them were armed with bows and arrows and knives. This was a lesser known tribe on Third Earth, known simply as **the Warrior Maidens**, and what made them lesser known was the fact that they weren't Cats or Dogs or any other kind of Animal. They were humans, a rare thing for you to find on Third Earth, if at all

Any way, once the large tribe of primitively dressed women was on the ground, they all readied their weapons as the last two Maidens came sliding down from the treetops. One was a svelte yet muscular-looking young woman, who wore a form-fitting yellow dress and complimenting brown belt. She had moderately tan skin and had long, raven hair, which she ponytailed at the very tip. The other one next to her was a slightly younger and slightly thinner female with long brown hair that she kept in a full ponytail. She wore light yellow top and a brown skirt, and bore a striking appearance to the older female next to her. Like the rest of their group, they both carried weapons, which they immediately readied and aimed at Mumm-Ra and his minions.

_"You are all trespassing on private ground, leave now or my warriors and I will be forced to throw you off our sacred land"_ said the raven hair maiden, who could definitely be the assumed leader of this band.

However, Mumm-Ra was not intimidated, nor was Slithe, Pumyra or Kaynar. In fact, the next words to come out of Slithe's mouth were-

_"And who, might I ask, are you to make us leave, little lady?"_

_"I am Willa of the Warrior Maidens, queen of the Treetop kingdom, and I decree that you are not welcome here, Lizard. So I say one last time; leave now or face the consequences!"_ the lead Maiden exclaimed

But even then, Mumm-Ra was still not fazed; in fact, the first thing he did in response was chuckle and say -

_"I'm afraid the only one who will be suffering the consequences, my dear, is you"_ is what the Evil Mummy said, as Queen Willa and all of her followers just glared at him.

Then, without a second thought, Mumm-Ra recited a very familiar mantra-

**_"Ancient Spirits of Evil, Transform this Decayed Form to Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living!"_**

After that, Mumm-Ra's frail, Mummy form melted away in favor of a more muscular, demonic, winged form: Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living

Surprisingly though, Willa and her fellow warriors were not intimidated by this. In fact, Willa and her brown-haired associate seemed rather happy that Mumm-Ra did this, as the first thing they did when they saw him transform was smile. They didn't even flinch when Pumyra, Slithe and Kaynar all readied their weapons.

_"Alright, ladies, this is the moment we've all been waiting for"_ is what Willa quietly said to the warriors behind her, right before she turned to her brown-haired associate and said _"Nayda, you know what to do"_

The brown-haired Warrior Maiden (whose name is apparently Nayda) nodded in response to her queen's comment and proceeded to have four of the other Warrior Maidens follow her as they dodged Mumm-Ra's energy blast. Willa led the other seven in another direction and had them attack Mumm-Ra with a barrage of arrows. Mumm-Ra, of course, destroyed all of the arrows with a single energy blast, but right after he did so, Willa reached into the pouch she was carrying and pulled out a handful of small pellets. She threw them all at Mumm-Ra, and, of course, he blasted them with ease. But right after he did, the pellets exploded into a green cloud of sparkling dust, a cloud that resembled the green pollen that affected Slithe and the other generals. Now, at first, the dust didn't seem so bad, but as soon as it covered Mumm-Ra, it started to burn him, and he started to yell and moan as if he were standing in clear field at high noon.

That's when Willa called out to him and said-

_"Oh, you're not afraid of a little dust, are you, Mumm-Ra? Our shamans made it just for you, after all"_

This made the other seven Warrior Maidens chuckle for a bit and that made Mumm-Ra growl in anger. Afterwards, Willa led 2 of her team of 7 into the trees while the other 5 leapt back onto the ground.

_"If you wanna make us pay, big ugly, you'll have to catch us first, if you even can"_ Willa taunted as she and her associates scurried further up into the treetops

"_Do you honestly think that hiding in the treetops like cowardly Monkeys will be enough to save you, fools?"_ said Mumm-Ra as he spread his wings and followed them upwards.

Meanwhile, back on the ground; Slithe, Kaynar and Pumyra were all attacking Nayda and the remaining 9 Warrior Maidens, but none of them were landing any real hits. Finally, Nayda saw her chance to deliver a swift kick to Pumyra's side and when the angry Puma tried to counter it by slashing her viciously, Nayda dodged her rather easily and pulled a clever move where she jumped on top of Pumyra and used her as extra height to jump up into the trees. Three of the other Warrior Maidens scurried up into the trees with her and this, of course, made Pumyra very angry

_"Come down here and die like a warrior, you cowardly…!"_ is what the evil Puma yelled to Nayda

_"Oh no, pretty kitty, why don't you come up here and fight like a warrior? If you even qualify"_ Nayda taunted, much to the amusement of her three fellow Warrior Maidens and to the anger of Pumyra

Pumyra was so angry, in fact, that she leapt onto a tree trunk and started climbing up to chase after Nayda and her associates. She got close a few times, but Nayda and the others just kept leaping away from her on the tree branches. She followed after them, of course, but while she did, Nayda looked at one of her associates and smiled almost mischievously.

Only 6 Warrior Maidens remained on the ground now, and Slithe and Kaynar were ready to fight them all. Vultaire and Addicus both started to come to at that point, but when they did, they were both a little scared. These were the same women who got the drop on them after all.

Meanwhile, high up in the trees, Queen Willa and her 2 followers were still keeping ahead of Mumm-Ra, and when they finally had a moment, one of the Maidens approached Queen Willa and said-

_"(Panting) he took the bait, my Queen, now what do we do?"_

_"(Panting) now, we keep playing decoy for that flying bag of bones and allow my sister, Nayda to do her part"_ Willa replied, almost out of breath _"With any luck; it won't be long before she gets our target to the right spot. Then, we can begin the endgame"_

Just then, Mumm-Ra made his presence known to the three warrior women and started to blast them without delay. They dodged his attacks with ease, of course, and then attempted to lead Mumm-Ra further away by leaping through the treetops like agile Monkeys.

Meanwhile, back at the white pyramid, the Thundercats were still stalking their squad of Lizard troops as they continued to walk through the Pyramid's dark corridors. They were still keeping their safe distance within the shadows, of course, but the whole time, Cheetara couldn't help but notice that the Lizards they were following were the only Lizards that they've seen so far. Tygra and Lion-O noticed this as well, and just like Cheetara, it made them a little nervous.

The Kittens, on the other hand, were more preoccupied with the pyramid itself, it was just so awe-inspiring to them. It was so different from Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, yet, at the same time, it was also remarkably similar. The structure of the interior was definitely reminiscent of the Black Pyramid, but while Mumm-Ra's pyramid was definitely scientific in design, this pyramid was clearly more primitive looking. It had stone walls instead of metallic ones; it had torches resting in holders attached to the walls instead of electrical lights, and the strange designs written on all sides but the floor, while similar to ones in Mumm-Ra's Pyramid, were more like archaic writing instead of circuit boards. This kind of supported the "it's just an ancient ruin from a lost civilization" theory, but even so, Kit and Kat both felt that this similarity in design was not a coincidence.

Anyway, the Cats suddenly found themselves caught off guard when everything went black. All of the torches in the corridor suddenly went out for no particular reason. And when they mysteriously came back on a few seconds later, the Cats were all shocked to discover that the Lizards they were following were gone, without a single trace to follow, I might add.

_"The Lizards, where'd they go?"_ said Lion-O as he surveyed the corridor

_"Uh, more importantly, where'd our way out go?" _said WilyKat as the other Cats looked behind them and saw what the young Wildcat was talking about.

Apparently, the corridor that the group had just used had become a dead end. In a nutshell, that meant they were trapped inside.

_(Commercial Break)_

As one could imagine, the TCats were more than a little concerned about the sudden disappearance of their only way out, especially since that meant they were supposedly trapped inside with a Lizard Army.

_"This doesn't make any sense, I'm sure that we came in this way"_ said Cheetara as she faced the dead end that used to be a corridor

_"Looks like the Lizards set a trap for us after all"_ replied Tygra

_"…and we fell for it like a rock in the river"_ Lion-O added in a very cynical tone, right before he sighed and continued with _"Great, just great"_

_"So, what do we do now?"_ asked WilyKit in a combination of fear and concern

_"Not much else we can do, except keep moving. If the Lizards really have set a trap for us, they've already got us right where they want us" _said Lion-O as he then walked down the opposite side of the corridor with the other Cats following him

The group continued to walk like this for quite some time; in fact, within the course of 20 minutes, they had already made their way down three corridors in total. But the weird part of it all was that while the Tcats assumed that this was trap set by the Lizards, they had yet to see any more, not even the ones they followed in. Another weird part to consider was that with every new corridor the group walked down, the torches just automatically came on, almost as if they were lit just for them. This made the group a little uneasy, especially the Kittens.

_"(Shudders) this pyramid is giving me the creeps"_ said WilyKat _"There's just something so…alive about this place"_

_"I know what you mean, Kat"_ said WilyKit _"I keep getting the feeling that there's some kind weird force all around us"_

_"Uh, what kind of force, exactly, sis?"_ asked Kat

_"That's the weird part about it, Kat; it's definitely something looming and it's definitely something strong, but at the same, it doesn't feel all that bad. In fact, it kinda feels… friendly"_

Kat didn't know how to respond to that last part, so all he did at that moment was raise an eyebrow in confusion.

As for Tygra and Cheetara, their main concern was just how serious Lion-O looked while he was walking. Because whenever Lion-O looks serious, it usually means that he's upset somehow. And when he walked on ahead of the other Cats, Cheetara took the opportunity approach Tygra and say—

_"Your deadline is almost up, Tygra, how's that "he'll be back to normal soon" theory of yours working out?"_

(An allusion to Tygra's line in the last episode)

_"I… really can't say anymore"_ said Tygra, in a semi-concerned, semi-serious tone. Apparently, he has all but lost faith in his own theory

Any way, the Cats soon come across a perpendicular intersection between corridors and when they do, they notice the strange carvings on the wall in front of them. Unlike the other walls, however, this one had carvings that almost made it resemble a tapestry, not unlike the wall carving that appeared in the Series premiere actually.

_"Well, this is something different" _said Tygra upon seeing the stone "tapestry"

Lion-O could almost instantly tell that there was some kind of message behind these carvings, so he moved in closer to get a better look. However, right after he did, WilyKat looked at him and said-

_"Uh, what are you doing?"_

_"Trying to figure out what these carvings say. We've been seeing them all over the place so far, so they have to mean something. They might even show us to the way out of here"_

_"And you learned how to read ancient text when?"_ asked Cheetara

_"It doesn't seem all that different from the wall carvings in Thundera; I think I should be able to get the gist of it" _replied Lion-O

_"Then, by all means, O learned scholar…"_ said Tygra as he smugly crossed his arms

Lion-O could tell that Tygra was making fun of him, but he showed no signs of reacting to it. Instead, he just leaned in closer to the wall carvings and translated them for the others.

_"From what I can tell, this wall tells a story about a war, one that was fought centuries ago, and from the looks of it, it was fought between 8 powerful spirits; 4 good, 4 evil."_ is what Lion-O said as he translated. And the pictures on the wall made it easier for him to illustrate his point _"They battled for the longest time, but because the two sides were so equal in strength, neither side was gaining any real advantage over the other. So, in hopes of tipping the scale in their favor, the evil spirits created a Herald, a being who would act as the conduit for all of their dark energy"_

It was then that Lion-O and the others noticed a carving that looked exactly like Mumm-Ra in his "Ever-Living" form. It didn't take any of them long to put two and two together after that.

_"Looks like the evil spirits thought for sure that this would tip the Balance of power in their favor, but it also looks like they didn't count on their rivals; the good spirits, countering this move by doing the exact same thing… and create a Herald of their own"_

After Lion-O translated that last part, he and the others noticed another carving, a much different one. It was of a beautiful young woman dressed in a white and green Egyptian-esque skirt and a pale white armor top with a blue circle on her chest. She had green shoulder-guards; she wore white and blue colored boots over green stockings, and covered both of her arms with green gloves that were covered on the lower half with white and blue fingerless gauntlets. On her head, she wore a green and white tiara that was adorned on both sides by two golden wings and had a dove ornament decorating it on the top. This perfectly complimented the golden choker with a green emerald that she was apparently wearing. However, what made this woman stand out all the more (in addition to the fact that she was a human instead of an animal) was the large pair of golden angel wings that she sported behind her back.

Never had any of the Thundercats seen something so beautiful, and it showed in the looks of awe on all of their faces.

_"She's so beautiful"_ said Cheetara

_"—and you're saying that she's supposed to be Mumm-Ra's-opposite?"_ Tygra continued

That's when Lion-O continued to translate the carvings on the wall by saying-

_"Yes, in every single way, it seems, and if I'm reading this correctly, she was also just as strong, maybe even stronger" _

_"Then what happened to her?" _asked WilyKat

_"Hmm, from what I can tell, it looks like when Mumm-Ra's ship went down all those years ago, his "rival" felt that she was no longer needed and apparently decided to take a good long rest within her own dwelling; here, on Third Earth"_

_"So, are you saying what I think you're saying…?"_ asked Cheetara

_"… This pyramid is her pyramid"_ replied Lion-O

The Tcats were not sure on how to respond to this, so they mainly just looked all around themselves in awe.

Meanwhile, back at the forest elsewhere, Queen Willa and her fellow Warrior Maidens were still climbing and leaping the trees in an attempt to keep ahead of Mumm-Ra. However, when Willa looked behind her, she was surprised to see that Mumm-Ra was no longer chasing them. She gave the order to halt after that and she and her follows settled on a tree branch so that she could think.

_"Is there something wrong, my Queen?"_ asked the still unnamed Warrior Maiden as she caught her breath

_"Yes, Ewa, I think there is, Mumm-Ra was just chasing us after a few seconds ago, but now, I don't see him anywhere. Where'd he go?"_ replied Willa

It was then that Queen Willa and her followers heard what sounded like an evil cackling in the distance and heard someone saying-

_"Where am I, you ask, my dear?"_

Then, out of nowhere, Mumm-Ra appeared out of the foliage in front of the Warrior Maidens and said-

_"I'm right here!"_

The evil Mummy then blasted the other two Warrior Maidens and made them fall for a few seconds before they could grab onto two different tree branches. Willa dodged Mumm-Ra's attacks, but they were no longer with ease, in fact, Willa was definitely showing some signs of fatigue this time. Regardless, she scurried up the treetops a little more and eventually found a branch to rest on. Unfortunately, Mumm-Ra caught up with her rather easily and then started to corner the Warrior Queen.

_"(Chuckles) you gave me quite the chase, Queen of the Warrior Maidens, but now I think it's time to put an end to this little game of ours" _

Mumm-Ra held up his right hand after saying this and then made it glow with purple energy as he prepared to deliver the final attack against the tired human. However, in a surprising turn of events, Queen Willa showed no signs of being the least bit scared. In fact, the most she did was stare directly at the undead warlord as he fired his blast.

When the blast made direct impact, Mumm-Ra was certain that this battle was over. But that was before the smoke cleared and the evil Mummy saw that Willa was still alive and well. She was surrounded by a mystical green aura and was shown to be wearing a strange glowing amulet.

_"How-how can this be?"_ said Mumm-Ra in complete shock, as he back away while Willa walked forward

That's when Willa grabbed onto her strange glowing amulet, held it up for Mumm-Ra to see and said-

_"A gift- from a friend, though I'm guessing it's not from a friend of yours"_

After that, Willa held up her amulet, aimed it towards the treetops above her and fired a blast of green energy. This created a large hole in the canopy, which was wide enough for the sun to shine through, not a good thing for Mumm-Ra. The evil mummy decided to retreat, but not before yelling-

_"A stroke of good luck, at best, savage, next time, you will not be so fortunate"_

_"Oh, I think I will"_ replied Willa rather smugly, even though Mumm-Ra was too far away to hear her

Any way, Ewa and the other Warrior Maiden both climbed back up the trees and eventually made it to where their queen was standing.

_"My Queen, are you all right?"_ asked Ewa as she placed her hand on Willa's shoulder

_"Yes, Ewa, I'm fine"_

_"W-where's Mumm-Ra?"_ asked the other Warrior Maiden

_"Gone; we've done our part, Zera. Now it's up Nayda and her group to do theirs"_

Willa walked away after saying that and once her two associates shared a brief look at each other, they walked after her

Meanwhile, back in the White Pyramid, the Thundercats were all still unsure about how to respond to the newfound knowledge they just learned.

_"So, this is it, this is the same pyramid?"_ said WilyKit

_"But then, doesn't that mean…?"_ her brother continued

_"—Mumm-Ra's "rival", she could still be here"_ said Cheetara

_"Maybe, but if she is, and she's working with the Lizards now, I don't think she's someone we want to meet" _said Tygra

Suddenly, Lion-O noticed something further down the corridor and said-

_"Speaking of the Lizards…"_

The other Thundercats all looked in the same direction as their leader and when they did, they saw that, true to his words, there were more Lizards, 3-4 to be precise. This time, they noticed the Cats, but instead of attacking, they simply ran way.

_"We can't let them sound the alarm, come on!"_ yelled Lion-O as he lead the other Cats in pursuit of the Lizards.

The chase initially led the group in a zigzag pattern and the Lizards did manage to escape the Cats sight after turning a corner. But after picking up the pace (so to speak) and turning the next corridor to the left, the Tcats soon caught up to their targets, just in time to watch them make their way through a large, strange looking doorway that, presumably, led outside.

Without a second thought, Lion-O yelled—

_"Come on!"_

-and the Thundercats all followed the Lizards through the doorway, thus causing the doorway itself to glow.

We are then shown Panthro, who was still observing the Feliner from the outside, still unable to believe that it was suddenly fixed without him having to lift a finger.

_"I just don't get it"_ is what he said _"a few minutes ago, this thing was as good as spare parts. But now, all of a sudden, it's up and running again? It doesn't make any sense"_

That's when Panthro noticed something coming his way and readied his nunchucks in response. However, this was an unnecessary action, because the people coming his way were none other than his fellow Thundercats.

The group was particularly disoriented by what just happened; one minute, they were chasing after a group of Lizards; the next, they're right back where they started. A lot of them even commented on this. However, what really grabbed everyone's attention was the fact that they were short one Lion.

Meanwhile, back in the forest elsewhere, Nayda and her three fellow Warrior Maidens were still keeping ahead of Pumyra in the trees. But as the evil Puma grew closer and closer to them, Nayda gave the signal to the others and they all stopped jumping after landing on one tree branch. When Pumyra finally caught up, she landed on a tree branch just across from them and looked like she was getting ready to pounce.

_"(Chuckles) so, we're done jumping through the treetops now, are we? Fine with me" _is what the evil Puma said as she got ready to leap over towards Nayda and her friends_ "Ready or not, here I co…"_

But before Pumyra could make that leap, she was blindsided by someone leaping onto her branch from the right. She grabbed onto a much lower branch, but just barely. As for the person who blindsided her, it was none other than the same hooded figure that appeared two episodes prior, and her face was still shrouded by her dark blue robes.

Soon enough, Pumyra managed to pull herself up onto the tree branch (not an easy task, due to her armor), and when she did, she growled at the hooded figure as she leapt down to the lower branch and said-

_"Who are you!? Who told you to interfere!?"_

_"Told me? TOLD ME!? Oh, no one had to tell me, Pumyra, I've wanted to do nothing else for the longest time!"_ said the hooded figure in a similar growling voice

That was when Nayda looked towards her friends and said-

_"Come, sisters, we've done our part, it's all up to our friend now"_

-right before she led her fellow Warrior Maidens away from the confrontation and left Pumyra and the hooded figure to themselves.

The two women stared each other down for a few seconds and both looked like they were ready to tear each other to bits.

_"So, you've got some kind of vendetta against me or something?"_ said Pumyra in a sour tone

_"It's hard not to, since you're one of the two monsters who ruined my life!"_

_"I see, and is there any chance you'll be giving me your name? Because, so far, you're not ringing any bells"_

_"Oh, you want my name, Pumyra? I'll do you one better than that, you traitor!"_

And with that, the hooded figure at last removed her hood and revealed her true identity. As it turns out, she was, in fact, **Pumyra! **This was much to the shock of the armored Pumyra.

Meanwhile, in a completely random location, Lion-O found himself in a situation that he found very hard to believe, not unlike Tygra and the others actually. The last thing he remembered doing was going through the doorway that, supposedly, led outside the White Pyramid. And yet now, he was in the middle of a dense forest and was nowhere near anything that remotely resembled a white pyramid. He surveyed his surroundings for the others, but found nothing, he even called out-

_"Cheetara!: Tygra!: Anybody!"_

-but there was no answer, and that made the young king more than a little worried. However, that worry soon turned into surprise when the young Lion looked behind him and saw that a tall, elderly human female wearing a dark blue robe was standing right next to him. She had violet eye-shadow, purple lipstick, and a pair of golden wings that adorned the sides of her head. A much closer inspection would've also revealed that this woman was bandaged in a way similar to the way Mumm-Ra looks. The main difference, however, was that, unlike Mumm-Ra, this woman looked more like a healthy older woman who was just wrapped up bandages, rather than a decaying corpse that had just been uncovered. Even this woman's voice seemed more pleasing than Mumm-Ra's, particularly when she said-

_"Welcome, King of the Thundercats"_

_(Episode Ends)_

**Notes:**

**1.** **This episode does not feel like my best and it was supposed to be the penultimate episode in this Story Arc I'm trying to tell. However, the story doesn't seem right and the writing doesn't seem very good at certain points**

**2. Tell me the truth; can you see any of the stuff I've written as actually episodes? Because that's what I've been striving for, and it's hard, especially when I'm trying to write a good plot and things that the characters would most likely say**

**3. If any of the stuff in my stories sound like something from another show or movie, it was most likely by accident. I'm trying really hard to write stuff that at least sounds original**


	4. Mumm-Rana

**Episode 30 – Mumm-Rana**

**_"Previously on Thundercats" (scenes from the last three episodes show, before the title finally appears with the show itself)_**

The episode opens up with an overhead view of the clearing where the Thundercats crashed the Feliner. Once we get a close-up, we see that the Tcats (minus Lion-O) have all gathered around their airship and have just finished explaining what just happened to them to Panthro.

_"So, let me get this straight: you followed that Lizard and found a White Pyramid, you followed more Lizard troops inside, but then your exit disappeared, you found out that Mumm-Ra has a "twin" and then you went through a magical door that brought you back here?"_ said Panthro as he broke down what he was just told

_"Uh, yeah, that pretty much sums it up"_ replied WilyKat

_"Look, we agree that it might sound crazy, but trust us, it's all true"_ said Tygra

_"Though, to be perfectly honest, we're still not quite sure how"_ his mate added

_"Uh-huh?"_ the Panther general replied in a semi-skeptical way _"Well, I guess that only leaves me with one question: where's Lion-O?"_

The Thundercats all shared a look of concern at that point, right before Cheetara responded—

_"We're…we're not entirely sure of that either" _

This made Panthro more than a little concerned

Indeed, the TCats were all at a loss on where Lion-O was, even Snarf didn't have a clue. One minute, he was leading the others through the mysterious doorway that presumably led out, then the next minute; the others were back at the Feliner and Lion-O was nowhere to be found.

It is then that we are shown the scene that ended the last episode: Lion-O facing off with a mysterious older woman wearing a dark blue cloak. She was 2-3 inches taller than Panthro; she had bandages covering all parts of her except her hands and face, and she looked like she was roughly the same age as Jaga. Her eyelids had violet eye-shadow; her lips were regal purple, and the sides of her head were adorned by two golden wings. In a lot of ways (her robe and bandages), she almost resembled a female version of Mumm-Ra. But unlike Mumm-Ra, who looked like a recently uncovered corpse, this strange figure looked more like a perfectly healthy, living woman who was only wrapped up to look like she was mummified.

_"Who…who are you?" _saidLion-O, finally breaking the silence

And when the strange woman responded, even her voice sounded better than Mumm-Ra's.

_"I am what I am"_

While Mumm-Ra's voice sounded raspy and a bit weak, this woman's voice sounded more like a loving mother talking to her infant child.

However, her response still did not answer Lion-O's question, so he replied by saying-

_"I… don't understand" _

_"I am Mumm-Rana, Mistress of the White Pyramid, guardian of all nature and caretaker of all spirits"_

_"White Pyramid…?"_ Lion-O started, right before he came to an important realization _"You're…you're the woman from that wall carving!"_

_"Oh, you read those carvings did you? Good, then that means the Lizards did their part perfectly"_ replied Mumm-Rana with a smile

_"Lizards? So, you are in league in with them"_ said Lion-O

_"Well, yes and no. Yes, I did use the Lizards to get your attention, but, that's only because I couldn't think of any other reason for you to venture away from your airship. Especially after it crashed like it did"_

_"How did you…? Wait a minute, that storm, the one that brought down the Feliner, that was you wasn't it?!"_ replied Lion-O, his look of confusion now turning into a look of anger

_"Well, the lightning did most of the work, but, yeah, I was the one who created the storm"_ said Mumm-Rana as she rose up her hand and twirled her index finger around to magically create a small storm cloud, complete with thunder and lightning. _"Nature is my thing after all"_

_"So that's it, you brought down our airship just so your Lizards could lure us into trap?!"_ said the angry Lion

_"Now you see, that's actually where the "No" part from my earlier comment comes in" _Mumm-Rana replied, as she clinched her fingers and subsequently made the small storm cloud disappear _"True, I did use the "Lizards" to bait you, but I think you'll find that the ones I used are a little "different" from the ones you're used to dealing with"_

Then, with a snap of her fingers, Mumm-Rana called forth a small group of Lizards to appear out of foliage surrounding her and Lion-O. Lion-O reached for his sword, but before he could, Mumm-Rana said-

_"Oh, relax yourself, little king, in case you hadn't noticed, these "Lizards" are unarmed" _

Lion-O took a closer look at the reptilian troops and saw that they were indeed unarmed, especially when they held up their empty hands.

_"Besides, even if they were armed, I doubt that it would've have mattered in the slightest"_

After that, Mumm-Rana rested her left hand on one of the Lizards and made said Lizard disappear after removing her hand. Suddenly, all the Lizards around Lion-O started to vanish into thin air; they were all illusions. Just like the ones of WilyKat and WilyKit during the first of Lion-O's trials.

_"Not bad, huh? And it only took me a few minutes to make them all too"_ said Mumm-Rana _"Not as original as the storm, I'll admit, but still, far more of a challenge than just mixing a few clouds together, I assure you" _

_"Okay, so you're not with the Lizard Army, that's fine, but that still doesn't explain why you wanted me here. What do you want?" _replied Lion-O

_"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. Simply put: all I want is to help you" _

That response caught Lion-O off guard for a bit, as the next thing to come out of his mouth was-

_"What?"_

_"I've been watching you and your charges for quite some time now, Lion-O. I've watched your journey, your struggles and, more recently, your pain and loss" _Mumm-Rana continued

_"Why is any of that your problem? From what I've read about you, you're supposed to be a being of almost infinite power" _said Lion-O

_"Yes, power that was given to me specifically so that I could carry out three specific tasks: One: to act caretaker to all of nature's bounty, Two: to serve as guardian for all wayward spirits on the physical plane, and third and most important of all: to protect all living things from my "counterpart"…"_

_"…Mumm-Ra" _said Lion-O

_"Indeed: an enemy that I now share with the Cats, yes?" _

Lion-O looked at Mumm-Rana in a suspicious manner after that, right before he replied with-

_"Okay, let's just say, for a moment, that I believe any part of what you've just told me. If all you want to do is help the Cats, why wait until now to seek us out?" _

_"Because after witnessing the tragedy that befell your group in Avista City, it seemed only right that I make myself known to you now. Especially since I have found a way to remedy some of the damage caused during that venture" _

_"Remedy, how?"_

That was when Mumm-Rana walked ahead of Lion-O and gestured him to follow her, while saying-

_"Follow me, and all will be explained"_

Lion-O was, understandably, skeptical about all of this, and it showed in the way he looked at Mumm-Rana. However, when the towering female noticed this, she simply replied-

_"Hey, if I really am up to something, you can always just use your sword and Power Stone to defend yourself, right? Besides, at this point, can you really say no to an ally against Mumm-Ra?"_

Lion-O's look of skepticism started to fade a little after that, until he finally relented and started to follow the tall, mummified woman.

Unbeknownst to him, however, was that the two of them were being watched from afar. It was Queen Willa and her two Warrior Maidens: Zera and Ewa. They were observing Lion-O as he followed Mumm-Rana.

_"Huh, so, that's the "hero" Mumm-Rana was expecting, eh? Doesn't look like much to me"_ said Willa

_"Mumm-Rana says that he's a very competent warrior, my Queen, and a very effective leader as well"_ said Zera

_"Yes, especially under current circumstances"_ continued Ewa

_"Whatever, Mumm-Rana only wanted us to deal with Mumm-Ra and his lackeys, we're done here. Let's get back to our village"_ replied Willa as she got up and started to leave

_"Yes, my Queen"_ Ewa and Zera both said in unison, as they both bowed before their Amazonian monarch

However, once Willa was far enough away, the two Warrior Maidens started talking—

_"Do you think we'll ever get the old Queen Willa back, Ewa?"_

_"I don't know, Zera, I just don't know"_

After that, the two warriors followed their leader as she got further ahead in the treetops, and kept following her until they eventually caught up with her.

_(Commercial Break)_

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Mumm-Ra was flying beneath the tree canopy in a very wobbly manner. No doubt this was the after effect of his last confrontation with Queen Willa. Eventually, the undead warlord found his way to the ground and when he did, he reverted back to his frail mummy form as he collapsed to his knees. He struggled to get back up for a minute, but after he was up, his moaning was replaced by angry growling.

That's when the evil Mummy noticed that his four Generals were walking nearby, all of them limping or holding a part of their body in pain (Kaynar was actually using his weapon as a crutch).

_"General Slithe!"_ is what Mumm-Ra called out as he approached the battle weary Animals

As expected, Slithe was a little wary to be seeing Mumm-Ra right about now, as the next words to come out of his mouth were-

_"Uh…Lord Mumm-Ra, there you are. We were, uh, just looking for you"_

_"Spare me, Slithe, I don't want to hear your pathetic prattle, all I want to know is how you and the others dealt with those-those treetop dwellers"_

_"Oh, well, um, we fought as ferociously as usual, Lord Mumm-Ra, and we had them at our mercy a few times…"_ Slithe began, until he stopped rather abruptly

_"But…?"_ Mumm-Ra added

_"Um, the, uh, Warrior Maidens proved to be more…formidable then we initially thought"_ Slithe finished

_"So you're telling me that you: a quartet of physically superior Animal Generals, were defeated by a motley band of tree-climbing savages?! Pathetic" _said Mumm-Ra

_"Um, in our defense, Lord Mumm-Ra, those "savages" each fought like an army of savages!"_ said Addicus

_"I'll say, they were like animals, and not in a good way" _Kaynar added

_"Well, I suppose if any good came out of all this, it's that at least those treetop climbing barbarians are now without a leader, isn't that right, my Lord?" _Said Vultaire

Mumm-Ra looked a little surprised after hearing that, but he quickly resumed his look of anger as he said-

_"Do not presume to think that my actions can act as overcompensation for your failures, Vultaire!"_

Suddenly, Kaynar started to smile and said

_"Ooh, sounds like we weren't the only ones sent home licking our wounds (chuckles)"_

Suddenly, Kaynar found himself (once again) zapped by Mumm-Ra, and afterwards, Slithe said—

_"Perhaps we should leave, Lord Mumm-Ra, there's obviously no trace of your "enemy" here"_

_"No, General Slithe, our encounter with those tree-dwellers has only proven that my enemy is indeed here. Why she has sided with those savages, I do not know, but what I do know is that we must find her before she does away with all of us!" _

Mumm-Ra's words warranted a brief look of shock from his battle-scarred generals

_"Come along, every moment we waste is…"_

But before Mumm-Ra could finish that sentence, he came to a realization

_"Wait, where is Pumyra?"_

The Generals all looked at each other in confusion for a brief moment after that.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Pumyra was still facing off with the same hooded figure that blindsided her when she was chasing after Nayda, and her fellow Warrior Maidens. However, once said figure removed her hood, she revealed herself to be Pumyra herself, much to the shock of the armored Pumyra.

_"You're…you're me, but how—how can that be?"_ asked the Armored Pumyra in disbelief, which quickly turned into mild anger

_"Okay, first of all, "Pumyra": I was never you! I'm an actual Cat, an actual being, something you stopped being a long time ago"_ said the Blue robed Pumyra, as her armored counterpart growled in anger _"Oh, and second of all:-"_

Then, before actually saying anything, Blue robed Pumyra delivered a swift and savage kick to Armored Pumyra's side and sent her falling backwards, closer to the tree trunk.

As one would expect, Armored Pumyra was none too happy about what just happened, and it showed in the way she growled as she got back up. The armored Puma then came charging at the blue robed Puma with her wrist blades, but Blue robed Pumyra dodged the attack rather easily and delivered one of her own: a swift punch in the face. Armored Pumyra almost lost her balance after that, but quickly regained it after wobbling for a bit. At that point, Blue robed Pumyra moved in closer to her armored counterpart and said-

_"That was for all you did to the Avistans…"_

-Right before she delivered another swift kick to her counterpart's torso and said-

_"…And that was for all you did to Lion-O"_

That time, Blue robed Pumyra's blow did knock her armored counterpart off the tree branch and she landed on a much lower branch, just barely getting her grip into the wood. As she pulled herself up, Blue robed Pumyra leapt down after her and Armored Pumyra said-

_"Lion-O? You're with the ThunderCats?"_

_"I would've liked to have been, I would have liked to have been able to walk among my fellow Cats. But no: thanks to you, I can't. Thanks to you, I'm a traitor in the eyes of the other Cats…especially Lion-O-"_

Blue robed Pumyra's voice sounded sad during that last part, but it quickly changed back into anger as she glared at her armored counterpart and continued-

_"-which makes this next blow long overdue!" _

-Right before she charged at Armored Pumyra, claws extended.

However, her armored counterpart counters this move by grabbing her left arm and throwing her over to the branch of the tree next door. Blue robed Pumyra manages to land on her feet, but Armored Pumyra leapt after her and extended her wrist blades once again.

_"Oh, cry me a river, you should be thanking me for all of that" _is what the armored Puma said_ "Why would you want to side with the Cats who left us behind, or the King who left us to die" _

Armored Pumyra ran towards her blue robed counterpart at that moment, with intent to slash her, but Blue robed Pumyra dodged her and then delivered another swift kick to the armored Puma's back. Armored Pumyra stumbled forward for a few seconds, until finally collapsing. At which point, Blue robed Pumyra said-

_"Our king did not lead the army that destroyed Thundera; our king didn't bring us back to life just to use us as a puppet against our own people, and our king certainly did not make us endanger the lives of hundreds just so he could have his precise stone!"_

After that was said, Armored Pumyra got back on her feet with a growl and engaged her counterpart in hand-to-hand combat. The two of them fought viciously for a while, but every attack either of them made was countered by the other rather easily. For example, every punch Armored Pumyra made was blocked by Blue robed Pumyra. Even when Armored Pumyra used her wrist blades, her blue robed counterpart managed to dodge them without gaining so much as a scratch.

However, as soon as Blue robed Pumyra had a blind-spot, Armored Pumyra made her move and knocked her down to a lower tree branch below. Blue robed Pumyra just barely grabbed onto the branch in time, and while she dangled for dear life, Armored Pumyra leapt down to the branch and looked down at her.

_"Need I remind you, "Pumyra", that Mumm-Ra is the only reason I'm still alive at all? He brought me back, gave me new life, a better life"_ is what the evil Puma said

_"A cursed life you mean; a life without any real choices or meaning! A life spent feeling nothing but enough pointless rage to make any Cat too stupid to tell the difference between a leader who's just using them and a leader who actually cared about them!"_

This made Armored Pumyra angry enough to try and knock her counterpart off the branch with her foot. But as soon as she tried to do so, Blue robed Pumyra grabbed said foot and moved it back upwards, sending Armored Pumyra stumbling backwards as a result. Once the armored Puma was lying flat on her back, the blue robed Puma pulled herself back up and faced her armored counterpart just as she got back up.

_"Well, now it's passed time for this issue to be rectified, and I intend to do just that! Regardless of the effort"_ is what the blue robed Puma said, right before she came at Armored Pumyra and tackled her.

This caused them both to fall down to a much lower tree branch and then resume their fighting.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Lion-O was still walking side-by-side Mumm-Rana. But all the while, the young king still did not seem very happy about it.

_"Well, this has certainly been the latest in a long stream of bad days for me" _is what he said_ "First: I lose the Sword of Plun-Darr, then I get betrayed and lose the Tech Stone all in one day. And now, I've managed to get shanghaied by a crazy sorceress who's lured me to the middle of who knows where. Can anything else go wrong?"_

_"Things will always go wrong, little king, that's really just a part of life"_ said Mumm-Rana, apparently ignoring the fact that Lion-O was doing a soliloquy

_"(Sarcastically) oh look, she starts to speak again. Well, now that you are speaking, perhaps you could tell me where you're dragging me to? We've been walking for who knows how long"_ said Lion-O

_"Fourteen minutes and forty-three seconds to be exact"_ Mumm-Rana replied, after looking up at the sun _"As to where we're going: I'd say we're about halfway there"_

_"Halfway to where? There's nothing out here, we're the only ones around for miles!"_ Lion-O replied

It was at that moment when Mumm-Rana stopped in her tracks and widened her eyes in mild shock, before saying-

_"I'm not so sure about that" _

_"What, what's wrong?"_ the young Thundercat asked

_"Someone is close by, I can feel it, and it's definitely someone who shouldn't be here"_

_"Mumm-Ra?"_ Lion-O asked

_"I'm not entirely sure, but I'd better go investigate just to be sure. Just keep walking forward and I'll meet up with as soon as I can" _

_"Mumm-Ra could be close by and you want me to just keep walking? I don't think so, I'm going with you!" _Lion-O replied

_"Trust me, Lion-O; continuing with this trek will be far more beneficial for you than facing off with Mumm-Ra. Just keep heading forward until you reach a vacant plain, and believe me, you'll find something far more helpful to you than just settling an old score" _

And with that Mumm-Rana disappeared in a bright flash of blue light, leaving Lion-O to silently growl to himself. He was obviously trying very hard to be mature about being left behind. Afterwards, he looked forward at the path ahead of him, and decided to take a deep breath and follow Mumm-Rana's instructions. But not before sighing and saying—

_"I must be out of my head"_

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Slithe and the others were all standing at the edge of nearby cliff, while Slithe was surveying the area with a pair of binoculars. Kaynar then stepped up to Slithe and said-

_"'Kay, so explain to me again what we're doing out here, Slithe"_

_"Mumm-Ra's orders, Kaynar, he specifically ordered us to come to this exact location and then await further instruction"_ Slithe replied as he lowered his binoculars

_"(Hooping) as long as we don't have to deal with those tree-dwelling savages again, I'm not complaining (hooping)"_ said Addicus

_"—and where exactly is our wise and powerful leader?" _asked Vultaire_ "Vanished without a trace again, has he? How typical"_

_"I'd watch my tone if I were you, Vultaire, you're on thin ice with Mumm-Ra as it is. And believe me when I tell you that you do not want someone like Mumm-Ra as your enemy"_ Slithe replied

_"Ha, I can personally vouch for that one"_ said mysterious voice out of nowhere

The generals all looked around for the source of the voice and, eventually, they found out that it was none other than Mumm-Rana herself. She was leaning against a tree in a casual manner and the nonchalant look on her face indicated that she was not least bit worried that the Generals saw her.

_"Greetings, Generals, we've never been properly introduced, my name is Mumm-Rana, guardian of all nature. I believe I'm the one your master was looking for"_

Slithe, Kaynar and Addicus all growled at the mummified woman after that, but Vultaire just remained calm and said-

_""Mumm-Rana" eh? (Sarcastically) my, isn't that an original name"_

_"(Chuckles) this coming from the vulture who calls himself "Vultaire""_ Mumm-Rana joked as she walked closer towards Vultaire and the others

Slithe readied his Laser rifle at that point, and as he aimed at Mumm-Rana, he said-

_"Take one step closer, witch, and it'll be the last thing you ever do!"_

Mumm-Rana was not intimidated, however, in fact, she remained completely at ease, as she smiled ever so slightly and replied with a-

_"Go ahead"_

-as she extended her arms and left herself open to a blast from Slithe's rifle.

Slithe fired, of course, but when he did, an invisible energy field completely blocked out the blast and left Slithe and the other Generals completely flabbergasted. Slithe continued to fire at Mumm-Rana, but just like before, all of his blasts were deflected by some kind of energy field and Mumm-Rana was free to move in closer as a result.

Once she was close enough, Slithe attempted to attack Mumm-Rana by using the axe-blade attachment of his rifle. However, Mumm-Rana simply grabbed the blade with one hand, lifted the weapon into the air, with Slithe hanging on, and then swung the rifle around until Slithe was tossed aside.

Slithe was angry, of course, but at that moment, all he could do was just watch as Mumm-Rana looked at his weapon and said-

_"Ugh, I've never had a problem with technology as a whole before, but the potential for violence it has; the sheer destruction it's capable of. Well, that's just not my cup of tea"_

After that, all Mumm-Rana had to do was hold out the rifle in her hands and then it just short-circuited and fell into tiny pieces. This left Slithe a little bit worried.

_"Well, Pretty lady, maybe you'll like this weapon instead"_ said Kaynar as he held out his spear/axe _"It's pretty low tech and it's always worked for me (chuckles insanely)"_

The crazed Jackal then charged towards the mummified woman, but before he could do anything, Mumm-Rana actually outmaneuvered him rather easily, grabbed his spear/axe and then knocked Kaynar away, just like she did Slithe.

_"Really, you wouldn't know" _said Mumm-Rana, rather smugly, as she held up the Jackalman's weapon before tossing it aside.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Addicus and Vultaire were both sneaking up on her and were both getting ready to strike the mummified woman on her right and left side. Or at least it looked like she didn't know, but it soon became clear that she did know, because as soon as the Monkian and Vultureman swung at her, Mumm-Rana held up her right and left wrists in an attempt to block her enemies' weapons. Not only did she succeed in blocking them, she also made both Addicus' mace and Vultaire's Energy spear snap into two upon impact.

This left the two of them more than a little shocked, but it was short-lived, because right afterwards, Mumm-Rana zapped them both with green energy without even turning around to face them. After that, the Generals all completely forsook Mumm-Ra's orders and ran away like scared chickens, except Kaynar, who had to be carried by Slithe, due to still being unconscious.

Once they were all gone, Mumm-Rana looked around and said—

_"I know you're nearby, Mumm-Ra, and I know you sent those Generals of yours to get my attention. What I don't know is why? And why not join the fight?"_

Mumm-Rana quickly let her suspicions drop after that, and then walked over towards the cliff's edge to transform into her dove form. But while she changed and flew away, another bird was watching her from afar. It was a raven with blood red eyes and its voice indicated that it was none other than Mumm-Rana's counterpart himself.

_"So, Mumm-Rana, you've obviously managed to remain just as powerful as ever, have you? No matter, all I need to know is where you're disappearing off to and how I can make that place your final tomb"_

And with that, Mumm-Ra flies off after Mumm-Rana in her dove form as she flew off into the sky

_(Commercial Break)_

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Lion-O was still walking down the forest path and, so far, encountered no resistance or danger. But he did complain a lot the whole way-

_"(Sigh) I can't believe I'm stuck out here walking in the middle of nowhere just because some old lady in a fancy robe told me to. She said that I would find going this way more beneficial, beneficial how? There's nothing out here and this forest goes on forever"_

It was then that Lion-O reached the, supposed, end of the path and removed some foliage from out of his way. Afterwards, he noticed what appeared to be a large and vacuous grassland, which served as the divider for the forest he was in and another woodland area just a few miles away. It had various flowers in it, and all of them came in a variety colors.

_"I stand corrected"_ is what the young Lion said, right before he continued his walking.

For a while, the young Thundercat encountered no resistance or trouble during his trek, and the most noise he heard was the wind howling all around him. He even felt the wind blow in his face for a brief instant, but after that happened; the young Lion was quickly treated to strange vision.

He saw the destruction that was wrought during Fall of Thundera and he saw a young female Cat fighting for her life. Upon further inspection, Lion-O easily recognized this Cat as Pumyra, and she looked just as aggressive and dedicated as she did when he first met her in the Pit.

Any way, the vision showed Lion-O just how Pumyra met her untimely end, in excellent detail. He saw how she was blown away by that one explosion, he saw how she landed flat on the ground and he saw how she was crushed by large falling of piece debris.

Lion-O quickly came out of the vision after that last part, but it still left quite an impact on him.

_"Whoa, okay, that was weird"_ is what he said, right before he looked all around him to make sure that he was alone (you never know who could be doing what after all)

Afterwards, Lion-O continued to walk forward through the grassland, but soon, he was hit with another cool breeze in the face and was then given another strange vision.

This time, he saw Pumyra lying helplessly under the rubble while she noticed the Lion-O of that time walking passed her with Tygra, Cheetara and Snarf. Pumyra called out to them with her last ounce of strength and then died soon afterwards.

That was undoubtedly what snapped Lion-O out of this vision, and after he looked around just like the first time, it grieved him to the point where he moaned while covering his face with his hand. Once he was through, he looked up in front of him and noticed the wind blowing various flower petals in the air and was soon led into another vision.

This time, he saw the inside of Mumm-Ra's pyramid, where the evil Mummy himself was standing next to the Well of Souls saying-

_"Hmm, what have we here, dear well, a lost soul unable to pass on due to emotional pain? And a Cat no less, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, emotion has always been a crippling weakness among their pathetic race. Still though, if done right, this just might be the tool I need to put end to the Lord of the Thundercats"_

And with that, Mumm-Ra raised up his hands and said-

_"Ancient Spirits of Evil, grant me the power to resurrect this wretched soul and imbue it with your power!"_

Suddenly, the eyes of all the Ancient Spirit statues started to glow red and the Well of Souls started to bubble, up until the task was finished and the new reborn Pumyra was raised from the water, with a sinister looking smile on her face.

The vision then shifted to a misty looking area, where we see Pumyra once again. However, this time, Pumyra was not smiling wickedly; she was in shock of her new surroundings and didn't know what to do at the moment. That was when she was approached by what looked like a long, black vine and was quickly grabbed by it on the wrist. She struggled to get free, but then more black vines started to show up and kept coming at her until she was completely and hopelessly entangled by them.

Once completely bound, Pumyra could only sit still and watch as a mystical window of some kind formed in front of her and showed the POV of someone else. She saw Mumm-Ra staring right at someone and he said-

_"Welcome, my dear, you have been brought back to life, thanks to the Ancient Spirits. And as of this moment, you serve them and me"_

That's when Pumyra heard another voice respond—

_"Yes, My Master"_

-and recognized it as her own voice

This left the imprisoned Puma at a loss and it showed in the look of shock on her face

_"Simply obey my every command, Pumyra, and I can personally guarantee that you will have exactly what you desire: the end of the Lord of the Thundercats"_ Mumm-Ra continued

That comment made the imprisoned Pumyra feel more than a little bit nervous, but what really upset her was that the mysterious voice that sounded like hers actually responded with-

_"Nothing would make me happier, My Lord"_

That was what really made Pumyra look shocked, and it was also the very thing that brought Lion-O out of the vision.

_"These visions, why am I having them, what do they mean?"_ is what the young Lion said-

-Right before he heard a mysterious voice out of nowhere saying-

_"Oh, so you're having visions now, are you…?"_

He looked around and saw nothing but the small dove that landed right in front of him. But then, within seconds, that small dove transformed into Mumm-Rana with her cloak blowing in the wind.

_"…Good, then that means we're definitely making more progress here"_ is what Mumm-Rana said, completing her earlier sentence

_"Mumm-Rana, you were the one giving me all of those visions?!"_ said Lion-O in an almost angry tone

_"No, not me, little king, it was this grassland that did all the work"_ Mumm-Rana replied

_"What?" _Lion-O asked

_"That's right, Lion-O, welcome to the Plains of Was"_ said Mumm-Rana _"For years, this grassland has had the ability to show anyone who traverses it visions of what was, what might have been and what will be. No one is really sure of how this could be though. Some believe that the grassland simply possesses its own magic; but others believe that there is something else going on here. (Chuckles slightly) just another glorious mystery of nature, I suppose, nature is just full of mystery and wonders after all"_

_"But why am I having all of these visions? What do they all mean?"_ Lion-O asked

_"Well, that really depends on you, little king"_ Mumm-Rana said _"Your visions could mean something or they could mean nothing. That really all depends on how relevant they seem to you. I told you that you would get more out of continuing with this trek than you would have battling Mumm-Ra"_

Lion-O looked at the mummified woman in an angry way for a brief moment. But then, he looked sad as he said-

_"Oh, they were relevant alright, believe me: I saw someone I knew or rather, someone I thought I knew. I saw just what happened to her during an attack, how she got hurt, and…how she fell into the wrong hands"_

_"You once came across a Cat named Pumyra, you wanted to help her, but she had a lot of anger directed towards you because of what happened during the fall of Thundera. And just when it looked like you were starting to win her over, you found out, in Avista, that her anger is what led her into the hands of Mumm-Ra." _Said Mumm-Rana_ "Now, you're not sure of how to feel about all that's happened: angry, sad, betrayed, or just heartbroken"_

_"How about all of the above"_ Lion-O replied in a slightly depressed tone

_"It's true, Lion-O, you've endured many hardships in the past. But the source of all your misery isn't just in the hardships themselves, it also lies in your own inner turmoil"_ replied Mumm-Rana

_"What are talking about?"_ the young Lion asked

_"As you may recall me saying earlier; bad things can and will always happen, that's just a part of life"_ said Mumm-Rana _"But the problem that you and many others have is that whenever something bad happens, you always believe that it was your fault. Even when it was plain to see that you had no control over any of it"_

_"I'm the king, Mumm-Rana; if anything happens to my people, it's because of my choices. And that makes everything that happens my responsibility"_ Lion-O said

_"True, but a king must also always be able to look at the bigger picture, and unless you understand that there are things in this world that are beyond your control; that will only become harder and harder to do"_ Mumm-Rana replied _"Take your feelings regarding Pumyra for example: you blame yourself for her current condition as much as she herself blames you. But ask yourself this; were you the one who caused the disaster that claimed Pumyra's life, were you the one who told Mumm-Ra to resurrect her just to use her, and are you really responsible for every trick and horror that that monster uses against you? Hmm…?"_

All Lion-O could do at that point was look a little sad and say-

_"No"_

_"Exactly, no, you had no control over any of that, there are things you couldn't have possibly had any control over"_ said Mumm-Rana _"And the sooner you come to terms with this, the sooner you'll be able to find peace with yourself."_

_"Yeah"_ said Lion-O _"And how, exactly, do I do that?"_

_"Well, personally, I'd recommend one of the two following solutions: you could either One: let all the pain and sorrow that you carry flow away, like a leaf in the river, completely forgotten, or Two: take the very thing that caused you so much pain and turn it into the solution to your problems"_ Mumm-Rana replied

_"You make both sound easy"_ said Lion-O

_"They're not, trust me. But, then again, let's face it, very few things in life are"_ said Mumm-Rana _"Come along now, we're nearly at the end of our journey, and there is something in the next forest that you must see"_

And with that, Lion-O continued to follow Mumm-Rana, as she walked forward towards the other side of the plains.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Blue robed Pumyra and Armored Pumyra were still facing off in the treetops. And just when it seemed like Armored Pumyra was gaining the upper hand, due to a swift uppercut, Blue robed Pumyra was able to turn the tables by delivering a powerful punch and kick of her own. These two blows, along with the weight of her armor, caused Armored Pumyra to lose her balance and fall off the branch they were on (again). She landed flat on her back on a branch below, she wasn't dead, but she was undoubtedly out cold, and it showed in how she moaned, but barely moved.

That's when Blue robed Pumyra looked down at her limp counterpart and said-

_"Now it's time to put an end to all of this madness" _

-right before she leapt down after her armored doppelganger.

Meanwhile, back at the Plains of Was, Lion-O and Mumm-Rana had finally reached their forest destination and were just starting to enter it. However, as fatigue started to hit him, Lion-O looked at his guide and said-

_"Alright, Mumm-Rana, I'm starting to get a little tired of this "Mystery Woman" act of yours. You obviously brought me out here for something important, and I think it's time you told me what it was"_

"_I agree, but allow me to ask you something first: remember when I said that nature is just full of mystery and wonders?"_ said Mumm-Rana

_"Yeah, what of it?"_ Lion-O replied

That's when Mumm-Rana removed some of the foliage that stood her way and showed Lion-O something that left him speechless.

_"Well, my young friend, you're about to see one of the greatest wonders that nature has to offer"_

Lion-O saw what appeared to be a mildly tall hill in the distance. But what made this hill unique was the fact that it had a large stream of water coming out of the top, and that this very stream was going upwards and apparently formed the mist that surrounded the hill itself. The young Lord of the Thundercats was in complete awe, so much so that he failed to notice that he and Mumm-Rana were being watched from above by Mumm-Ra in Raven form. Once the evil bird got a good look at them, his eyes glowed bright red and the episode quickly faded to black.

_(Episode Ends)_

**Notes: ****_Just so you know, I'm well aware that the consistency of this story is a little sketchy and the dialogue might seem all that good, but please understand that this isn't easy_**


	5. The Geyser of Life

**Episode 31 – Geyser of Life**

**_"Previously on Thundercats" (scenes from the last three episodes show, before the title finally appears with the show itself)_**

This episode opens up where the last episode left off: with Lion-O standing next to Mumm-Rana as she showed him a mildly tall hill with a large stream of water coming out of the top. The stream looked like a geyser of some sorts. And apparently, once it reached the sky, it formed the mist that surrounded the hill itself, which made this hill all the more entrancing of a sight.

_"What…what am I looking at?"_ Lion-O asked, still in total awe

_"Beautiful, isn't it, Lion-O?" _Mumm-Rana replied _"For years, this has been one of Third Earth's most beautiful of sights and one of it's most mysterious of natural phenomena"_

_"So, basically, you're saying that you don't know how that hill is doing what it's doing either, right?" _said Lion-O

_"No one does, hence the "mystery" part of what I just said; try to keep up, little king" _said Mumm-Rana, in a rather nonchalant way_ "However, if there is one thing that many a traveler has come to realize about this place, this "Geyser of Life", it's that this is place of very powerful, very pure, magical energy"_

That last part was what really captured Lion-O's attention, and it showed in the way he looked surprised, right before he looked towards Mumm-Rana and replied-

_"What kind of magical energy are we talking about exactly?"_

_"The Healing variety"_ Mumm-Rana answered, albeit rather ominously

But before Lion-O could get any real details, he heard a rustling going on in the foliage to the left of him. He readied his sword for battle at that point, all while saying-

_"Uh-Oh, get ready for trouble, because I think we just found some"_

_"Oh, not at all, my young friend"_ Mumm-Rana replied while still maintaining her cool demeanor _"In fact, this is precisely what I've been waiting for"_

Lion-O had no real response to what he just heard, and before he could give it any more thought, he finally saw who was coming his way: Pumyra (Armored Pumyra to be precise).

_"Pumyra…?"_ Lion-O said in near shock

That's when the armored Puma took a look at the young Lion and said-

_"Lion-O…?"_

-right before she snarled and attempted to charge him at top speed.

However, before she could get too far, Pumyra felt a strong pull that stopped her dead in her tracks. It was then that Lion-O not only realized that Pumyra was in chains, but was also being handled by someone else: Pumyra (the blue robed one).

_"Don't even think about it, Witch! You're going nowhere!"_ said Blue robed Pumyra, as she held the chain that connected to her counterpart's shackles.

This made Lion-O all the more disconcerted; he was seeing two of the same person, and one of them was growling like a wild animal as she attempted to attack him. However, the blue robed Puma was doing an excellent job of keeping her counterpart under control. But that didn't stop Lion-O from saying-

_"What…what in the name of…"_

That's when Mumm-Rana walked up to his side and said-

_"Well done, my dear, I see that you were quite successful in your part of the plan"_

_"Indeed, Mistress" _said Blue robed Pumyra, as she pulled the chain she was holding and drew her prisoner in closer to her _"And I see that you were successful in yours as well"_

_"Oh, very; now it's time for the final part of my plan"_ Mumm-Rana continued, right before she turned away from the Cats and looked back towards the mildly tall hill that she and Lion-O were looking at earlier _"And just in time too, we should have a few minutes left over when we're done"_

Mumm-Rana began to walk towards the mildly tall hill at that point, but Lion-O was still at a loss here. And it showed in the way he said-

_"Done with what? What's this plan of yours? What's going on?"_

It was then that Lion-O noticed Blue-robed Pumyra, who was forcing her armored counterpart to walk passed him. Once the two of them were close enough together, the blue robed Puma said-

_"There'll be time for explanations later, Lion-O, I promise. But right now, you just need to trust Mumm-Rana; she knows what she's doing"_

Lion-O still wasn't sure about all of this, but, once again, his instincts made him swallow his suspicions and he followed Mumm-Rana and the others as they headed towards the hill.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, Mumm-Ra was still in raven form and he was circling the small group from above. Much like he did in "Between Brothers", and just like in "Between Brothers", he spoke while still in raven form, via an astral projection in the sky-

_"So, Mumm-Rana, this was your plan all along, was it? First: you lure me away from my "puppet", and then you capture her so that you could bring her to the Lord of the Thundercats himself. I can't even begin to imagine what type of plan you have conceived, Mumm-Rana, nor do I care. For you see, by coming here, you have only handed me the means to destroy you in the most ironic way possible. As well as presented me with the perfect opportunity to retrieve the War and Spirit stones"_

After that, Mumm-Ra's image disappeared and he kept on flying in raven form.

Back on the ground, Lion-O, Mumm-Rana and the two Pumyras were all still walking, and as Mumm-Rana led the troop, she looked at the hill in front of them and said-

_"If we keep walking at this pace, I estimate we'll be at our destination within an hour"_

_"Great, so do I have to wait until then for you to tell me anything, or are you going to stop keeping me in the dark and actually give me some real answers?"_ said Lion-O, who was clearly starting to lose his patience.

_"Well, aren't we an impatient monarch"_ Mumm-Rana replied, rather nonchalantly

_"I'm serious, Mumm-Rana, you obviously had a reason for luring me all the way out here and I need to know what it is"_

_"And you will, I promise, but at the moment, I'm afraid time is not completely on our side and is growing shorter by the moment. Which means, until this matter is resolved, I'm afraid all explanations are going to have to wait until later on"_

Lion-O wasn't entirely accepting of this answer, but before he could say anything more, Mumm-Rana gestured everyone to stop in their tracks.

_"Mistress, what's wrong?"_ asked Blue-robed Pumyra, while still handling Armored Pumyra

_"I sense something is wrong, I can't tell what, exactly, but I can tell that something is definitely amiss"_ Mumm-Rana replied

Suddenly, everyone in the group heard a loud creaking noise, they didn't know what it was at first, but they certainly knew when they saw the most unsettling of sights: the trees around them started to move and eventually became growling monsters. It was then that Lion-O said-

_"Oh Whiskers"_

_(Commercial Break)_

The demonic trees all began to advance on Lion-O and the others, but, as usual, Mumm-Rana was rather nonchalant about all of this. So much so that she just looked at the monstrous trees and said-

_"(Sigh) really, monster trees: that's supposed to be a problem for me? For goodness sake, this is hardly a speed bump, let alone a roadblock" _

-right before she rose up her right hand and released a large cloud of green dust that completely doused the tree monsters.

However, just when it looked like the matter had been easily dealt with, Mumm-Rana was shocked to discover that her green dust had no effect. Each and every one of the tree monsters was protected against the dust by a flaming purple aura, and once the dust cloud had dissipated, the purple aura went away and the tree monsters continued their advance.

That's when Lion-O put on his gauntlet, brought out his sword and charged straight at the monstrous trees. He slashed off one tree's "arm", then another one's "leg" and then, he actually used the Spirit Stone to blast another into oblivion.

The two Pumyras watched the whole thing, and while they did, Armored Pumyra said-

_"You know, with so many tree monsters here, I'm thinking you guys could use some extra hands right"_

-while holding up her hands as a gesture to un-cuff them.

_"I'm thinking not a chance"_ replied Blue robed Pumyra as she pushed her armored Counterpart flat her side

Afterwards, she tied the chain she was holding to a nearby tree and then ran off to join Lion-O in the fight. What's more, she actually discarded her blue robe and revealed herself to be wearing the exact same clothes she was wearing when Lion-O (supposedly) first met her. She even still had her old bolas and wrist-bow, which she used without hesitation against the tree monsters.

The two Cats took down many trees together, but all the while, Lion-O couldn't help but look with surprise as Pumyra helped him. Mumm-Rana tried to help out as well, but, for some reason, her magic was doing very little to the trees at all.

_"I don't understand, what's going on here?"_ the sorceress asked, right before the tree she was fighting came in for a close swipe.

Fortunately, Mumm-Rana was able to dodge the attack with relative ease, which was yet another thing that separated her from Mumm-Ra. You see, while Mumm-Ra is a decrepit bag of bones, barely able to move at all, Mumm-Rana is able to move with as much agility, stamina and dexterity as anyone much younger than she was. This was further proven when another tree monster attempted to attack the sorceress and she dodged by doing a perfect summersault.

After she landed, she looked at the two monsters approaching her and gave her magic one more crack. Just like before, she attempted to douse the wooden brutes with green powder. But when they didn't work, they both came at her at once and she had to dodge their attacks once again.

_"This isn't making any sense; I've always been able to handle trees and plants. The only other time this ever happened was…" _

It was then that Mumm-Rana came to a realization and then looked upward to see the raven flying overhead

_"I should have known"_ Mumm-Rana finished

But right after she did, a third tree monster came at her and forced her to do another perfect summersault.

Once she landed, she stared at the three tree monsters advancing towards her and said-

_"I may not be able to hurt you brutes directly, but thankfully, there are more indirect ways for me to fight back" _

After that, Mumm-Rana raised her arms high up in the air and made her hands glow bright green. Suddenly, two of the three tree monsters found themselves sinking hopelessly into the dirt, while the last one was ensnared by vines shooting up from out of the ground.

Armored Pumyra watched all of this from her position, but suddenly, she noticed that the tree she was chained to was starting to move. Just like the others around it, this tree had transformed into a monstrous creature ready to attack. However, this actually worked to the armored Puma's advantage, because right after the tree's transformation was complete, the wooden brute inadvertently broke Armored Pumyra's chains and set her free. As the tree monster advanced towards Lion-O and her unarmored counterpart, the armored Puma took this as an opportune chance to flee, with a smile.

Lion-O and Pumyra kept up the fight as best they could, and it was definitely starting to pay off. Every tree monster that came at the two Cats was either sliced and/or blasted by Lion-O or was smashed to splinters by Pumyra's bolas. Eventually, the fight was over, and when that happened, Lion-O had his sword revert back to dagger form and said-

_"Well, that was certainly random"_

_"No, my friend; that was my "counterpart's" trickery at work"_ replied Mumm-Rana

_"Mumm-Ra!? But Mistress, I thought…"_ said Pumyra

_"Yes, Pumyra, I know, I had also hoped that we wouldn't receive any interference from Mumm-Ra. But it appears that I was a fool to think such a thing. No matter, we still have time left, you and Lion-O should take our prisoner and…"_

It was at that moment that Mumm-Rana and her Feline allies noticed the shattered chains on the ground and the fact that Armoured Pumyra was missing

_"She's gone!" _said Pumyra

_"Oh great, now we have to deal with her being on the loose? This day just keeps getting better and better"_ said Lion-O

Mumm-Rana then placed her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes as she began to concentrate on something. Afterwards, she said-

_"She's still somewhere nearby, I can sense her. Pumyra, you and Lion-O track her down and bring her to the Geyser; I'll catch up with as soon as I can"_

_"But what about you, Mistress, where are you going to be?"_ Pumyra asked

Mumm-Rana then turned around to a different direction and replied-

_"I'll be having a discussion with an old friend"_

Afterwards, the elderly sorceress then let out a loud bird-like shriek and engulfed herself in a bright blue light. Lion-O and Pumyra both shielded their eyes at that point, and once they were able see again, they saw that Mumm-Rana had once again taken her Dove form and watched her fly off into the sky.

Once she was gone, Pumyra headed in the direction of the Geyser hill and gestured Lion-O to follow.

_"Come on!"_ is what she said as she called out to the young Lion

And in response, Lion-O just sighed and said-

_"This day just keeps making less and less sense"_

-right before he (begrudgingly) followed the young Puma in front of him.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, just north of the Geyser hill, Armored Pumyra was taking a moment to catch her breath. Understandable, since it must be a real task to try and run fast while wearing a suit of armor. Once she was done, she took a seat on the ground and said-

_"Ha, lost them, though it's a shame couldn't have stayed to watch the show. Watching my King get torn apart by those tree monsters probably would've been quite the show"_

-right before she smiled the same kind of smile she did on Avista.

That's when the wicked Puma heard someone say-

_"Perhaps, but sadly, that was not how things turned out"_

Armored Pumyra easily recognized the voice as Mumm-Ra's, but when she looked around; she saw no sign of her mummified master.

_"Master, where are you?"_ is what she said as she continued to look

_"Never mind that now, my Dear, just listen closely"_ said Mumm-Ra, still nowhere to be found _"I'm afraid that you left the battlefield a bit too abruptly, my attempts to destroy your king and my ancient enemy fell flat on its face"_

_"Wait, those tree monsters were yours, Master?"_

_"Yes, and I thought for sure that by enhancing them with the Ancient Spirits magic, they would've wrought Mumm-Rana's destruction. No matter, for I still have one last trick to pull"_

_"How may I be of assistance to your plan, My Lord?"_

_"You already are, Pumyra, Mumm-Rana has sent both your king and counterpart after you, all you have to do is make sure that they keep following you to the Geyser of Life"_

_"The Geyser of…wait, do you mean that Geyser on that hill? But, Master, that's where they were planning to take me in the first place" _

_"I know, Beloved, and that little fact will make Mumm-Rana's destruction all the more delicious. Just make sure that Lion-O and Mumm-Rana's pet Puma follow you to the Geyser of Life. Once our enemies are in position, I will take care of everything else"_

_"As you wish, Lord Mumm-Ra"_

After that, Armored Pumyra ran back in the direction she came. As for Mumm-Ra himself, it turns out; his voice was magically coming from above, while the evil Mummy was still in his raven form. The dark bird continued to fly south towards the Geyser afterwards, but before he could get too far, he heard a loud screeching sound from above.

The raven looked upwards to see what it was and when he did; he was shocked to see the pale white dove swooping down right at him. The dark bird attempted to dodge the bright dove in one maneuver, but the dove still managed to land a swift blow on its right wing. The raven screeched loudly in response, but that didn't deter the dove from flying right back at him. However, this time, the raven attempted to counter this move by swooping right at the bright bird. The two birds then began to engage each other in an aerial battle, consisting of various maneuvers and a lot of screeching. The two birds seemed to be evenly matched for much of the fight, but eventually, the raven found himself in need of a last-ditch escape move. The dark bird flew upwards toward the sun and used its bright light to temporarily blind the dove, thus allowing it to escape. The dove realized this too late and saw that its opponent was long gone. The white bird wanted to pursue its enemy, but instead, it flew back down towards the forest below. By now, I'm sure it was no secret who the dove was.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Lion-O and Pumyra (formerly known as Blue robed Pumyra) were still tracking Armored Pumyra. They found some of their quarry's tracks and followed them further and further into the Woods. What they didn't know, however, was that Armored Pumyra was watching them from afar, and she smiled wickedly as she maintained her lead ahead of them and kept on moving, purposely making more tracks in the process.

_"Looks like we're getting closer, but it seems a little odd that these tracks all seem to lead towards the Geyser hill"_ said Pumyra

_"Yeah, that does seem a bit odd, doesn't it? Almost as if it were all one big trap or a set-up"_ replied Lion-O in an almost accusing tone

_"Lion-O, you don't honestly think that…"_ Pumyra began in a half insulted/half hurt tone

_"Yeah, actually I do, this wouldn't be the first time that you led me on just to stab me in the back after all. And it wouldn't be the first time that you were working for a monster who wanted the Sword of Omens either"_

Pumyra briefly looked sad after hearing this, but then she finally replied-

_"Lion-O, you have every right to be mad at me, but please don't take it out on Mumm-Rana. All she wants to do is help you, she just wants to help all of us"_

_"(Sarcastically) right, the all powerful sorceress, who shot down my airship, lured me into her fancy pyramid, separated me from the rest of my group and brought me out to middle of nowhere to meet the very Cat who twice tried to kill me, just wants to help me. Oh, and of course, she must be doing this out of the goodness of her own heart"_

_"No, not just out of the goodness of my own heart…" _said Mumm-Rana, as she flew down in dove form and reverted back to her real self _"…out of regret, regret for the evil that I allowed to befall Third Earth"_

_"Mistress…"_ said Pumyra as she reached her comforting hand towards Mumm-Rana

But Mumm-Rana simply gestured her to stop and said-

_"No, Pumyra, Lion-O has a right to hear the truth. I had hoped to save explanations for a much more opportune time, but now I see that if we are to truly have his aid, he must know the whole situation, fully"_

_"I'm listening"_ said Lion-O as Mumm-Rana approached him

_"Actually, I believe that things will progress much faster if I just show you" _

After that, Mumm-Rana attempted to place her hands on Lion-O's head, but the young king simply backed away. To which, Mumm-Rana replied-

_"Lion-O, you have my word, I am not trying to hurt you. All I want is to be your ally"_

_"I'm not sure if I can trust you, Mumm-Rana"_ said Lion-O

_"Then trust your instincts, young one, trust your heart, they will give you the answers you need"_

Lion-O stared at Mumm-Rana distrustfully for a few seconds, but then he walked back up to her and allowed her to place her hands on his head. After that, Mumm-Rana's eyes started to glow blue as an aura of the same color began to surround her and spread to Lion-O. The young Lord of the Thundercats felt something come over him and it was further proven by the fact that his eyes started glow blue as well.

Suddenly, Lion-O started to see visions, not unlike the ones he saw in the Plains of Was. However, these visions were much more clear and they showed, not Pumyra, but Mumm-Rana herself and Mumm-Ra doing battle with each other in some remote location. While we are shown this, Mumm-Rana's voice could be heard in the background-

_"As you already learned from my Pyramid walls, Mumm-Ra and I have been at war for many eons. We fought in many different locations and used numerous tactics against each other. But, as time went on, it really did seem like our battle was never fated to end. Or at least that's what I thought, until his former servants, the Cats, rebelled against him and sealed him inside his own Pyramid"_

The last part of Mumm-Rana's comment was illustrated by visions of Leo leading the rebellion and defeating Mumm-Ra, and the Animals initial arrival on Third Earth.

_"With my old enemy seemingly vanquished, there was little left for me to do in the universe. Oh sure, I did my best to help with the colonization of Third Earth, but once it started to look like the Animals were going to be alright, my Masters and I all agreed that it was time for me to take a long rest, so I did, here on Third Earth"_

This part of the story was illustrated by visions of Mumm-Rana helping the Animals on Third Earth in various ways and, eventually, visions of her resting in her sarcophagus

_"However, as you already know, that decision was premature, because while I slumbered, Mumm-Ra made his return and Third Earth was made to suffer"_

We are then shown visions of Mumm-Ra's return, the Fall of Thundera and the attacks on the Elephant Village and Avista.

_"The cries of pain caused by this monster echoed loudly across Third Earth, I could hear them even in my deep slumber. But what really awaked me was something else, something more powerful"_

That part of the story was illustrated by visions of Lion-O obtaining the Spirit Stone and the Astral Plane collapsing in on itself, ending with a vision of Mumm-Rana sensing the destruction of the Astral Plane and awakening as a result.

Finally, Lion-O was brought out of his trance-like state and when that happened, he said-

_"The Spirit Stone…the Astral Plane collapsing…"_

_"Indeed, in addition to being connected to the forces of Nature, I also have a connection to the Spirit world. When a small part of it was destroyed, that alone was enough to awaken me from my deep sleep, and, sadly, that allowed me to see the destruction wrought by my villainous counterpart. It shamed me to no end"_

Lion-O suddenly felt a sense of sympathy come over him, and it showed in the way that he asked—

_"What ever happened to_ "_bad things can and will always happen, that's just a part of life_"?"

_"Indeed, Lion-O, precisely my point. I could have spent my days blaming myself for something that was outside my control, but instead, I looked at the bigger picture and chose to spend my time doing something useful: rectifying my mistake, one step at a time if necessary"_

Pumyra walked up to Mumm-Rana after she said that, and that prompted Lion-O to ask-

_"But how does Pumyra fit into all of this? Mumm-Ra had control over her"_ said Lion-O

_"No, he had control over part of me"_ Pumyra replied

Afterwards, Mumm-Rana said—

_"You see, Lion-O, Pumyra did fight during the Fall of Thundera and she did perish in the aftermath, that much is true. But I'm afraid that Mumm-Ra was not being entirely honest with you, my friend"_

Lion-O looked mildly surprised after hearing this, but that's when Mumm-Rana said-

_"Try not to look so surprised"_

_"Yes, it's true, I did have strong feelings when I died, Lion-O, but they weren't anger or rage, I was—sad, it really did feel like I had just been abandoned"_ said Pumyra in semi sad tone

_"Pumyra, I would never abandon anyone, you know that"_ Lion-O replied

_"No, I'm afraid she didn't, and as a result, she died in sadness, with a strong feeling of abandonment. And, unfortunately, sadness, along with fear, is the foundation of anger and rage. A fact that the Ancient Spirits of Evil were well aware of"_ Mumm-Rana continued

It is then that we are treated to another flashback, this time it was of Pumyra's resurrection in Mumm-Ra's pyramid. Mumm-Rana's voice could be heard in the background, and she was saying-

_"…So much so, that when they found Pumyra's spirit in the Well of Souls, they took her sadness and twisted it and corrupted it, thus turning all of that sadness into vicious, bloodthirsty rage, and thereby making the Cat they resurrected into nothing but personified anger" _

The Flashback came to an abrupt end after that, but that didn't stop Mumm-Rana from talking-

_"Fortunately, however, as powerful as the Ancient Spirits are, there is only so much that they are able to do. They did manage to bring Pumyra back, but they could not have done so without keeping at least some part of her original self in the mix"_

_"I was that small part, the real Pumyra"_ said the "real" Pumyra

It was then that Lion-O was struck with a realization-

"_The visions, the ones I saw in the Plains of Was, they were of you, weren't they?" _

_"Yes, yes they were"_ said Pumyra, as we are led into another flashback

This time, we are shown the same vision that Lion-O saw while traversing the Plains of Was: the one where Pumyra was being attacked by black vines and was eventually restrained in front of a mystical window. Pumyra spoke in the background and she said-

_"When the Ancient Spirits "resurrected" me, they kept any real trace of who I am locked away inside their little puppet. And to add insult to injury, they even gave me window to outside world, so that I could just sit back and watch as their "creation" ruined my life"_

The view that Pumyra is shown in this vision, via the mystical window, was of her attacking Lion-O in the Pit. And just like Cheetara did, the imprisoned Puma looked away in a combination of horror and of sadness. She even shed a few tears.

However, we are then shown that Pumyra herself was being watched via a green crystal, and the person who was watching her was none other than Mumm-Rana. In fact, the latter even took over narrating the flashback at that point.

_"But what Mumm-Ra and his masters didn't know was that Mumm-Ra is not the only one with power over spirits and souls. I heard Pumyra's cries for help and used what magic I could to help her and you, Lion-O"_

We are then shown a close-up of Mumm-Rana as she created several tiny green bobbles out of nowhere and then makes them sink into her "Crystal ball". The bobbles are then shown inside Pumyra's "prison", where they float all around her for a few seconds before sinking into the black vines that restrained her, this caused the vines to boil like they were being burned, thus loosening their grip on Pumyra and allowing her escape. The Puma then made her way towards the mystical window and reached into it, thus causing it to glow.

Mumm-Rana kept talking in the background during this, and she said-

_"At first, there was only so much my magic could do to help her, it started out with me just giving her soul enough strength the resist Mumm-Ra's control…"_

The scenes shown after that were of Pumyra stopping her body from killing Lion-O in the Pit, but mere moments afterwards, the black vines that once held Pumyra began to reconstitute themselves and eventually came right at her again. At that point, Mumm-Rana could be heard saying-

_"But unfortunately, places like the Pit and Mount Plun-Darr carried too much negative energy with them for my aid to last completely, especially whenever Pumyra was within proximity of the Sword of Plun-Darr"_

To compliment that part of the story, we are then shown specific scenes from "Curse of Ratilla" and "Birth of the Blades". That's when the flashback ended

_"However, right after Mumm-Ra retrieved his Sword, his magic started to weaken and his control over Pumyra started to go with it"_

_"At least until we arrived at Avista, after that, his control over me came back as strong as ever. I could actually feel my real self starting to dim at the time"_ said Pumyra

_"As could I" _said Mumm-Rana_ "I knew at that moment that if Pumyra was to truly survive, I would have to take real action"_

_"What did you do, exactly?"_ Lion-O asked, obviously still in the processing stage

That's when we get yet another flashback, this time of Mumm-Rana looking into her "Crystal ball" while she waved her hands around it. During this flashback, she narrated-

_"Well, in a way, I guess you could say that I copied Mumm-Ra's technique. I called upon my Masters; the Ancient Spirits of Light, and had them grant me enough power to not only free Pumyra's true self, but to also grant her new life"_

At that point, we are shown Mumm-Rana causing her "Crystal ball" to vent a thick green mist from the top until it causes another Pumyra to materialize out of it.

Once the Flashback was over, Mumm-Rana said-

_"Of course, by doing so, I had doomed this Pumyra to the same fate as Mumm-Ra's puppet"_

_"I may be, in a matter of speaking, alive. But I'm still nothing more than a shadow, a spirit, a puppet enslaved to the magic of another"_ Pumyra continued

Lion-O was completely flabbergasted after hearing all of this, but that didn't stop him from saying-

_"This is why we're going to that Geyser hill, isn't it? You think it can fix all of this, don't you?"_

_"It is a beacon of hope, yes"_ said Mumm-Rana _"You see, the Geyser on that hill, the Geyser of Life as it's so aptly named, has a variety of healing powers. It can heal any wound, it can cure any illness, no matter how lethal, and some have even said that it can bring the dead back to life. And all of this magic can be accomplished just by stepping into the perpetually flowing geyser waters."_

_"If my armored counterpart and I both step into the geyser's water, Mumm-Rana and I believe that the magic within will free us both from the Ancient Spirits' power. We also think that it will make us/me into one Cat again, a real Cat"_ said Pumyra

_"And what makes you so sure that this plan is going exactly?"_ said Lion-O while cocking one eyebrow

_"Nothing really, you'd be surprised at how many plans can go awry, no matter how simple they might be"_ Mumm-Rana replied _"But after hearing so much about the Geyser's of Life's power and having actually seen its magic in action in past, I am confident that we have a very good chance of success"_

_"Not if we don't make it there in time, Mistress, and time is fading as we speak"_ said Pumyra

_"That's another thing, why are you both in such a hurry?"_ Lion-O asked

_"While it's true, the Geyser of Life, and the magic within, never stops flowing, its amount of healing power is measured mainly by its various phases" _said Mumm-Rana_ "For example, in the winter, when the Geyser is just barely flowing, its healing properties are only able to do so much. That is why we must hurry; we are nearing the end of the phase where Geyser flows at its full strength, and for the venture we are planning to undertake, we need the Geyser's magic to be at its peak" _

Lion-O nodded after hearing this, but then his attention was directed towards a sound he heard from afar. It sounded like a Cat roaring from far away, and when Lion-O looked in the direction it was coming from, he saw that that was exactly what it was, and that Cat was Armored Pumyra

The wicked Puma smiled for a brief moment, and then ran off into the forest. After that, Lion-O said-

_"There she is!"_

_"…After her!"_ Pumyra continued

And with that, the two Cats and their tall Mummified friend chased after Armored Pumyra as she continued to stay ahead of them.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the raven that we all know as Mumm-Ra finds a place to perch, and when he did, he saw that the ground was littered with the skeletons of what looked like snakes. But the weirdest part about these skeletons was that they seemed to have wings, bat wings. Regardless, once Mumm-Ra saw that it was dark enough, he transformed back into his true form and began to observe the skeletons closely.

_"Poor, wretched creatures, it has been so long since last you fed on the flesh of others hasn't it?"_ said Mumm-Ra as he actually picked up one of the skeletons _"It's been so long since you last struck terror into the hearts of all who laid eyes on you. Well, don't worry my friends, you'll hunt again, and this time, you will have the chance to feast on Cats"_

After that, Mumm-Ra set the skeleton he was holding down and started waving his hands while saying-

_"Ancient Spirits of Evil: take these decaying creature remains and make these beasts live again by the breath of your power!"_

Mumm-Ra's hands began to glow their signature purple after that and that purple energy quickly began to spread to the snake skeletons. Some of them started to move after that, and one of them even had a red glow in the eye sockets of its skull.

This made Mumm-Ra very happy, and it showed when he started to laugh his signature Evil laughter, which could be heard even from a bird's height view of his current location.

_(Commercial Break)_

Lion-O and his two friends continued to follow Armored Pumyra through the woods, and just when it seemed like they had lost her, they found that they had arrived at their premade destination: the hill with the Geyser of Life. Now seeing the Geyser from afar was one thing, but to actually get this close to it was an entirely different matter. For one thing, viewing the Geyser as it swirled upwards first and then became mist was a far more astonishing sight when viewed up close.

However, Lion-O's viewing pleasure was abruptly interrupted when he saw Armored Pumyra climbing up the hill and gesturing to him to follow her. The young Lion and his lady friends climbed up after her, but eventually, she escaped them once again, via the mist. Regardless, the trio continued to climb after her, or at least they would have if Mumm-Rana hadn't remembered something-

_"What am I doing? I have special abilities for this"_

After that Mumm-Rana levitated herself off the ground and then grabbed Lion-O and Pumyra by the waists as she floated towards the peak of the hill. Eventually, they arrived at the top, and once they were there, the three of them looked around, but saw no sign of Armored Pumyra. Still they continued to look around for any sign of her. And while they did so, Pumyra eventually came to a spot where she was mere inches away from Lion-O. When that happened, Lion-O finally worked up the courage to approach the Puma and say something that had been dogging him for quite a while-

_"I need to know what parts were true, Pumyra"_

_"I beg your pardon?"_ Pumyra asked after hearing this

_"You said that Mumm-Ra only had control over part of you and that there were moments when you were fighting back against his control"_ Lion-O continued _"I need to know, which were the times when it was the real you"_

Pumyra clearly wasn't expecting a question like that, nevertheless, she looked the young Lion in the face and said-

_"Well, I was only just barely able to control myself after our fight in the Pit, and I could certainly feel Mumm-Ra's control over me growing stronger when we were at Mount Plun-Darr"_

_"What about your "concern" for the Cat Slaves, was that really you or was it just a part of the plan to retrieve the Sword of Plun-Darr?"_ asked Lion-O

_"That much of what I said at the time was true, I really didn't want to see my own people suffer, but anything between that and when Mumm-Ra retrieved the Sword, that was all just his control at work."_

_"Well…what about what happened after we left Mount Plun-Darr? Do you remember what happened when we were with the Wollo, Ponzi?"_

_"Well, yes, that was when my "Master" was attacking us in monster form, and…"_

Suddenly, Pumyra was struck with realization as she finally figured out where Lion-O was going with this

_"Oh"_ is the next thing she said

_"Well, was that really you, or was it just a part of Mumm-Ra's ruse?"_

"_Well, uh, like Mumm-Rana said; after we left Mount Plun-Darr, Mumm-Ra's control over me did start to weaken greatly. So, yeah, I guess you could say that was really me"_

Pumyra started to blush after saying that and Lion-O started to join her, but then, the two Cats were hailed by Mumm-Rana as she said—

_"Lion-O, Pumyra, quick"_

The two Cats came over, like she said, but that was because they assumed that she found Armored Pumyra. However, once they were both standing next to her, she showed them something even more important than the wicked Puma: the amazing majesty of the Geyser of Life. It was a large Geyser that flowed upward towards sky, yet it looked like the Geyser was in the middle of a shallow pond, the water wasn't even rippling.

_"So, this is the Geyser of Life, is it?"_ said Lion-O

_"It's enough to take your breath away"_ Pumyra added

_"Aw yes, just one among many of Nature's amazing wonders, they're all beautiful in their own way, I dare say"_ Mumm-Rana replied

_"You really enjoy the beauty of nature, don't you, Mistress?"_ asked Pumyra

_"Of course, my dear, it's part of what separates me from Mumm-Ra. You see, I only use the purest aspects of Nature to balance out all the negative aspects of the Technology Mumm-Ra uses. Besides, there's just something so wonderful about the amazing beauty that universe manages to create on its own: the stars that fill the sky, the amazing colors of the rainbow, and especially the beautiful flowers that cover entire fields"_

It was at that moment when Mumm-Rana actually knelt down and began stroke a small blue flower, to which Lion-O and Pumyra both gave a smile.

However, that quickly came to an end when Lion-O heard someone clapping from a direction just left of the three. They saw that it was Armored Pumyra, and while Mumm-Rana shot back up, the wicked Puma said-

_"Oh, how very touching, Mumm-Rana, really, I'm crying over here. But I'm afraid that time for sentiments is over"_

_"Oh really?"_ said Lion-O _"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, uh, Pumyra, it's three against one, and those odds are not in your favor"_

_"I'd count again, if I were you, Lion-O"_ said a raspy voice from out of nowhere

Lion-O and the others looked around and saw that it was Mumm-Ra himself who said this, and right after he revealed himself, Mumm-Rana glared angrily at him and said-

_"Mumm-Ra…!"_

_"Greetings, Mumm-Rana, it's been ages since we've seen each other. And, I must say, it was very kind of you to make things all the more easier for me" _Mumm-Ra replied as he kept walking towards his counterpart _"First you chose the perfect spot to be your resting place, and then you provide me with the exact means I need to destroy you, but more importantly, you've also brought me the War and Spirit Stones!"_

Lion-O then readied his Sword and gauntlet after hearing that and said-

_"You want them, come take them!"_

This made Mumm-Ra chuckle evilly for a moment, right before he replied-

_"Oh, I intend to"_

Suddenly, Lion-O, Pumyra and Mumm-Rana all heard a loud hissing sound, and before they could ask what it was, the trio was suddenly vaguely surrounded a pack of long, winged snakes (undoubtedly the very creatures that Mumm-Ra called upon the ASOE to resurrect).

_"What in the world…?"_ said Lion-O as he looked at the advancing serpents

_"Winged Serpents, in ancient times they were the ferocious guardians of the Geyser"_ said Mumm-Rana _"But they have not been seen in decades"_

_"Until now you mean, and I can assure you, they are quite hungry from their long rest"_ said Mumm-Ra

_"Lion-O, you and Pumyra deal with the serpents and Mumm-Ra's puppet, I'll handle this"_ said Mumm-Rana as she stared angrily at her counterpart

It was at that moment that the winged serpents started to come at Lion-O En Masse. He slashed some of them with the Sword of Omens and blasted others with the Spirit Stones, but they just kept coming at him. Not that Lion-O was wiling to back down, mind you.

As for our two mummified sorcerers, they were staring each other down, but the silence between them was broken when Mumm-Ra said-

_"So, here we are again, my dear. It's been too long since last we've gotten the chance to have our usual dance. It's only a shame that this will be the very last time we do"_

_"I agree, I'll miss them as well, but not half as much as I'll miss you, "my dear"" _Mumm-Rana replied

After that Mumm-Ra began to do his _thing_, as it were, all while reciting his usual mantra-

_"Ancient Spirits of Evil, Transform this Decayed Form into Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!"_

Once he was fully transformed, the large, winged demon gave out a loud growl while bolts of purple lightning began to surround him all around.

However, Mumm-Rana was not deterred by this, not by a long shot. In fact, right after Mumm-Ra was finished with his transformation, Mumm-Rana began to go through one of her own, complete with her own mantra-

_"Ancient Spirits of Light, Transform this Gentle Form into Mumm-Rana, Guardian of Virtue!"_

During this mantra, Mumm-Rana was surrounded by a green aura, while her own personal whirlwind engulfed her completely. Afterwards, a bright light flashed within the whirlwind and caused the whole thing to dissipate. Once that happened, the mummified elderly woman that was Mumm-Rana was replaced by a much younger woman with long brown hair, dressed in Egyptian style clothing. This was Mumm-Rana in her Immortal form, and it was the exact same figure that Lion-O and the other Tcats saw on the wall carvings within Mumm-Rana's White Pyramid. Like that carving, Mumm-Rana was now a beautiful young woman dressed in a white and green Egyptian-esque skirt and a pale white armor top with a blue circle on her chest. She had green shoulder-guards; she wore white and blue colored boots over green stockings, and covered both of her arms with green gloves that were covered on the lower half with white and blue fingerless gauntlets. On her head, she wore a green and white tiara with two golden wings adorning it on the sides and a dove ornament on the top. This perfectly complimented the golden choker with a green emerald that she was apparently wearing. However, what made this new Mumm-Rana stand out above all else was the large pair of golden angel wings that she sported behind her back. This was clearly meant to be in contrast to the demon wings that Mumm-Ra had. Finally, while Mumm-Ra's transformation was given a sense of flash by the bolts of purple lightning, all Mumm-Rana had to do to complete the effect she wanted was just stand there looking pretty.

Mumm-Ra was not deterred by this however, in fact, the first thing he did right after that was blast Mumm-Rana with purple energy. Fortunately, Mumm-Rana was able defend against that by firing a blast of her own green energy. Once the two of them were passed that, Mumm-Ra and Mumm-Rana both flew head-on at each other and engaged one another in battle.

Meanwhile, Pumyra once again found herself fighting her armored counterpart, and just like before, the two Pumas seemed to be equal in strength. However the "Real" Pumyra seemed to be the one gaining the upper hand, mainly due to her speed. Understandable, since Armored Pumyra was likely to be weighed down by her suit of armor. However, this very suit of armor did offer the wicked Puma some protection against her counterpart's attacks and it did still provide her with the wrist blades she used to fight.

Lion-O was still holding his own against the Winged Serpents. In fact, he was making short work of them rather easily. So easily, that, as he grabbed one with his gauntlet hand and vaporized it, he said-

_"Ha, nice try Mumm-Ra, but if you want the War and Spirit Stones, you'll have to do better than a bunch of tiny flying snakes?"_

Then, almost as if in direct response to Lion-O's comment, the remaining Winged Serpents all began to en masse on each other and then went from being a swarm of tiny flying snakes to one giant Winged Serpent with great big fangs and eyes as red as rubies.

"_My own fault"_ said Lion-O after witnessing the result of his own cockiness, especially as it lunged right at him

The young Lion dodged, of course, but the beast was a lot faster than it seemed. So much so that it proved rather difficult for Lion-O to lay a blow against the beast. But lay a few blows he did, all courtesy of the Sword of Omens.

Meanwhile, Mumm-Ra and Mumm-Rana were both continuing their little battle, but neither of them was really gaining the advantage over the other. They grappled, they blasted each other, they even used their magic to create constructs to use against each other, but nothing was tipping the scale. However, for a brief moment, Mumm-Ra's misfired blast came close to the Geyser and that concerned Mumm-Rana. This distracted her long enough for Mumm-Ra to deliver a mighty blast of purple energy, which sent the winged sorceress flying backwards towards the ground.

Pumyra witnessed this and when she did, she yelled-

_"Mistress…!"_

This distracted her long enough for Armored Pumyra to deliver a swift kick to her stomach, a kick so powerful that it sent her flying back and knocked her senseless. Armored Pumyra smiled after that, but then her attention was directed towards the battle Lion-O was having and that made her smile even more wickedly.

As for Mumm-Rana, her crash did leave her disoriented for a few seconds, but thankfully, she came out of her daze just in time to dodge Mumm-Ra's next attack. She back flipped out of the way of his energy blasts and then got airborne so she could counter with a mighty blast of her own. Mumm-Ra managed to dodge it, but right after he did, Mumm-Rana got in closer to blow her signature green powder into his face. Mumm-Ra groaned in agony after that (since the powder was apparently able to hurt him in someway), but it only lasted long enough for Mumm-Rana to blast at him yet again, and this time, she scored a direct hit.

Meanwhile, Lion-O was doing a moderate job at fighting the giant winged snake, but then, the moment of truth finally came when the Serpent lunged right at him. Lion-O readied his weapon, and before the serpent could even react, the young Lord of the Thundercats ended him with one swipe of his mighty sword. The beast was then reduced to purple mist, which immediately dissipated like water when it hits something hot.

Lion-O was, understandably fatigued after that battle, and the situation only got worse when he was suddenly blindsided by someone's kick. It was Armored Pumyra, and right after her kick left the young Lion flat on the ground, she extended her wrist blades and said-

_"Nice job with the snake, your Majesty, now I have you all to myself, and you have no idea how long I've waited for that"_

The wicked Puma was prepared to finally end the young king, but just as she readied her right wrist blade for a fatal blow, she felt something grab her on her right arm. She turned around and saw that it was "Real" Pumyra who was restraining her, and she said-

_"Stay away from him!"_

-right before she smacked the armoured Puma away.

Armoured Pumyra got right back up after that and when she did; she and her unarmed counterpart resumed their earlier battle. Lion-O watched this for a few seconds, but then he spotted the Sword of Omens, which had fallen out of his hands when Armored Pumyra blindsided him. He went and got his sword, and while he did, Armored Pumyra had just knocked her unarmed counterpart down as was ready to end her with her wrist blades. Fortunately, before she could, Lion-O blocked the wicked Puma's wrist blades with his gauntlet and said—

_"Back off!"_

-right before he used the Spirit Stone to blast Armored Pumyra away.

"Real" Pumyra got back up after that, and when she did, she was at a loss about what just happened. Not long ago, this was the same Cat who made it clear to Pumyra that he trusted her and Mumm-Rana as far as he could throw them. Yet here he is, coming to Pumyra's defense, and right after he did, he even looked back at the unarmored Puma and said-

_"I got your back"_

-which made Pumyra smile.

Meanwhile, Mumm-Ra and Mumm-Rana were still having a heated battle of their own, and neither of them was really showing any signs of winning. This became very taxing on Mumm-Ra's patience and it showed when he angrily yelled-

_"That's it, I've had enough of this nonsense, this ends now!"_

-right before he fired a blast of dark magic out of his own mouth.

But Mumm-Rana just replied with-

_"Yes, Mumm-Ra, it does!"_

-right before she fired a blast of blue energy from her eyes

The two magical energy blasts collided for a few seconds, but eventually, it was Mumm-Rana's eye beams that came out as the victor. They pushed back Mumm-Ra's dark magic and eventually overwhelmed the undead warlord all together in a bright flash of blue light.

When the flash finally dies down, all we are shown is Mumm-Rana while she still hovered above the ground with a stern look on her face. Mumm-Ra was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, below, Lion-O and Pumyra were both holding their own against Armored Pumyra, and eventually their fight was leading them right towards the Geyser of Life. However, just when it looked like the wicked Puma was going to be forced into the Geyser's waters, she stopped dead in her tracks.

_"Nice try, fools, but I heard you and Mumm-Rana when you were talking about your precise Geyser, and I'm afraid that you won't get me into its water that easily"_ said Armored Pumyra _"And from the look of things, I'd say that your hourglass has just about run out of sand"_

Unfortunately, Armored Pumyra was correct when she said this, for, you see, the Geyser of Life seemed to be dying down a bit, thus indicating that it was just about passed its "most powerful" phase.

This made Pumyra and Lion-O look really worried, and Armored Pumyra just mildly chuckled while she said-

_"Sorry, guys, but it looks like your time is up"_

_"Not yet it's not"_ said Mumm-Rana as she levitated down closer to the three Cats

It was then that Mumm-Rana fired her blue eye beams again and sent Armored Pumyra flying towards Lion-O and her unarmored counterpart. "Real" Pumyra then leapt into the air and tackled Armored Pumyra in mid-air, thus forcing the two of them back towards the Geyser. The maneuver worked and the two Pumas both landed smack dab into the flowing Geyser waters.

Once the two of them were there, something began to happen to the two Cats: Armored Pumyra began to turn purple all over while her eyes and mouth turned red, and "Real" Pumyra began to turn green all over while her eyes and mouth turned blue. Armored Pumyra let out a yell of agony during all of this, but "Real" Pumyra just groan in discomfort, withholding a scream that was obviously brewing on the inside. Eventually, the two Pumas both melted into the Geyser's flowing water and a bright combination of purple and green light flashed within the Geyser itself. The armor that Armored Pumyra wore was left empty after this, and eventually it also began to disintegrate and melted within the Geyser. Within moments, the combination of green and purple quickly became one big flash of yellow light, and after it shined brightly, within a few seconds, someone emerged from the Geyser's flowing waters; it was Pumyra, just one.

She wobbled a little bit while she walked towards Lion-O and Mumm-Rana, and eventually, she collapsed to knees and starting breathing heavily. Lion-O and Mumm-Rana ran over to her at that point, and once they were there, Lion-O looked at her and said-

_"Pumyra…?"_

The Puma looked at the young Lion face-to-face at that point and when she did, Mumm-Rana got a good look the young Cat's eyes and said-

_"It's her, the real her, I can feel it"_

Lion-O took another look at Pumyra after that, and after getting a good look at the Puma's eyes, he said-

_"It is you"_

Pumyra then started to stand up, and once she was on her feet, she said-

_"Yes, my King, it's me"_

-right before wrapped her arms around the young Lion and gave him a hug, to which Lion-O gladly returned, much to the happiness of Mumm-Rana.

However, happy time was soon interrupted when Mumm-Rana looked upwards and saw a raven flying overhead. The two Cats saw it too and it didn't take any of them long to figure out who it really was. No doubt Mumm-Ra was attempting to make an escape after the injuries he sustained from Mumm-Rana.

Lion-O was ready to use the Spirit Stone to shoot the dark bird down, but Mumm-Rana stopped him

_"No, Lion-O, let him go, let him run like the coward he is. He knows that his end is near, and he also knows that I will not rest until I've made sure that that day arrives, that's a promise"_ said Mumm-Rana as Mumm-Ra continued to fly away in bird form.

Lion-O and Pumyra joined Mumm-Rana in watching this, and during this time, Lion-O had already put his arm around Pumyra and pulled her closer to him.

The scene then cuts to another part of the forest surrounding the Geyser of Life, where we see Mumm-Ra coming in for a landing as he returned to his true form. He was clearly in a large amount of pain, but that didn't stop him from being angrier than he's ever been, and it showed in the way he said-

_"Alright, Mumm-Rana, this is the final straw! For years I have put up with your constant interference, but that finally ends now. Mark my words, Mumm-Rana, I will retrieve all four stones, I will gain the power I deserve, and most important of all, I will destroy you, and that is a promise!"_

_(Episode Ends)_

**Notes: ****_Not as good as the endings from the real show, I know, but it's the best I can do right now_**


	6. Fallen RatStar

**Episode 32 – Fallen RatStar**

The story begins in a very secluded part of a woodland area, most likely nearby the Geyser of Life. There, we are shown a group of Berbils hard at work, but they didn't seem happy about it one bit. Some of them were seen carrying strange machine parts, while others were seen welding pieces of metal together. As for the ones moving piles of scrap metal and machine parts around via carts, they were all doing it in a beeline, much like the Cat Slaves did with the crystals in the mine within Mount Plun-Darr. And like the Cat slaves at Mount Plun-Darr, when one of the Berbils tripped and fell down, he was suddenly approached by a guard carrying a whip. It was Rat soldier, just like the ones at Mount Plun-Darr, and without a moment's hesitation, the vermin started to ruthless whip the poor metallic bear creature.

Meanwhile, in another part of the general area, another Rat guard was found overseeing another group of Berbils hard at work; this time, a group that was moving various machine parts. Suddenly, this exact armored rodent was approached by a much larger figure, who was revealed to be none other than Ratar-O himself.

_"Ratar-O, is there a problem, sir?"_ said the Rat guard, after turning to face his corpulent Leader

_"Yes, my friend, actually there is problem"_ Ratar-O replied, rather angrily _"The problem is that we have all of these Berbils working on this little project of ours, and yet we are no closer to finishing it than we were when it was just the lot of you fools working on it!"_

_"I-I assure you, sir, we're working those little runts as fast as we can and…."_ The scared Rat guard began

But then, he was cut off by Ratar-O when he said-

_"Well, work them harder! I went through all the trouble of coming up with this project and I expect you fools to make sure it becomes a reality, or else"_

_"Yes, sir"_ the Rat guard replied right before Ratar-O walked away

But right after he was gone, the rodent soldier quietly sighed before saying to himself-

_"I'm starting to think that Mordax had the right idea when he left"_

Afterwards, he goes back to overseeing the Berbils and we are given a bird's eye view of what the Rats are making the Berbils build: a large technologically advanced warship.

The scene then shifts to a different woodland setting: a pathway that apparently leads away from the Geyser of Life. There, we see Lion-O and Pumyra walking down the path while Lion-O held what looked like a map in one hand. He checked over said map, but based on his facial expressions, it was pretty clear that Lion-O could barely read it.

_"(Sighs exasperatedly) I can't make heads or tails of this stupid thing"_ is what the young Lion said as he attempted to decipher the map _"You know, you would think that with all of her magic and wisdom, Mumm-Rana would be able to create a far more legible map"_

_"(Scoffs) not likely, Mumm-Rana normally tends to just teleport where she needs to go. I bet she's never had to use a map in years"_ replied Pumyra, as she followed her monarch while he kept walking

_"That reminds me: where exactly did Mumm-Rana disappear off to any way?" _asked Lion-O

_"She didn't say; but knowing Mumm-Rana, she probably had something more important to deal with"_ Pumyra replied

_"Maybe, but I really would've appreciated it if she used some of that magic of hers to teleport us back to the other Cats"_ Lion-O continued

_"Well, before she left, Mumm-Rana did say that if we followed this map, we'd get to where we needed to go"_ said Pumyra

_"(Sighs) sounds like she's just being enigmatic again to me, but okay, let's keep moving"_

After that, the young Feline Monarch and his Puma associate kept on walking further into the woods. But it was suddenly at that moment when the two Cats heard something coming from nearby.

They quickly ran over to see what it was and once they were within a viewing distance, Lion-O and Pumyra saw that the noise they heard was a group of Berbils yelling in their monotone voices. The tiny metallic bears were clearly running in terror, but Lion-O and Pumyra didn't find out why until they saw that their pursuers were Rat Soldiers. Once the armored Rodents caught up to the Berbils, they wasted no time in rounding them all up. This made Lion-O and Pumyra particularly upset.

_"Rat Soldiers; and it looks like they're into rounding up Berbils now"_ said Lion-O

_"Those rodents make me sick to my stomach"_ is what the female Puma said

And she was about ready to leap into action, until Lion-O grabbed her by the arm and said-

_"Take it easy, we don't want any of the Berbils getting hurt, besides, the Rats might have more of them hidden somewhere else. We'll follow them back to their nest and then we'll free all of their prisoners"_

Pumyra nodded after hearing this plan and then the two Cats proceeded to follow the Rodent soldiers as they made off with their Berbil captives.

Eventually, the Cats' "prey" did lead them right to the Rats' base camp, and once there, Lion-O and Pumyra watched with disdain as the recently acquired Berbils were added to the large wary workforce. However, what really attracted their attention was what the Berbils were building

_"What is that thing they're building?"_ Pumyra asked

_"Not sure, but whatever it is: it's something big, and I'm going to assume dangerous"_ Lion-O replied _"Let's just free the Berbils and get out of here"_

Once that was said, the two Cats began to sneak into the enemy camp, thoroughly avoiding the notice of the rodent guards.

Meanwhile, on another side of the enemy camp, Ratar-O was standing on a nearby cliff side as he watched the progress of his "project". But then, he was soon approached by a tall figure, a figure that, for the moment, remained in shadow.

_"What do you want, General?"_ Ratar-O asked, without turning to look at the figure behind him

_"Only a minute of your time perhaps, O mighty Ratar-O"_ said the nameless figure, his face still unseen

_"(Sighs) very well then, what is it?"_ Ratar-O replied reluctantly

_"Well, sir, I have to be honest with you; I'm a little surprised that you're still relying on forced labor to get things done, especially after the events at Mount Plun-Darr"_

That last comment made Ratar-O glare back at the mysterious figure, right before he replied-

_"While my attempts to reclaim the Sword of Plun-Darr may have failed, this new project I'm working on will undoubtedly be what brings me back to the top of the food chain, where I belong"_

_"But must your glory be built on the backs of so many in pain?"_ asked the nameless figure

_"Don't presume to act highbrow with me, General, from what I understand, you yourself are not unfamiliar with the concept of slavery. In fact, I hear that you got into the business strictly out of cowardice and fear for your own life. (Chuckles) not unlike a Rat actually"_ Ratar-O said while stroking his long mustache

The next thing we see is the unseen figure's left hand as he clinched it into a fist in anger. His face was still yet to be seen, but by the appearance of his hand, it would be safe to assume that he was a Cat of some kind.

_"Oh, but don't threat over it, my friend, it was a change for the better. I mean, if you hadn't gone down the path you did, you wouldn't be here, at my side, during my greatest triumph. And that's infinitely more preferable to the alternatives, isn't it?"_ Ratar-O continued

_"Yes, sir" _said the nameless figure in a slight melancholy voice

_"Good, now continue to monitor things from here, I'm going to go see how the metal welders are doing"_ said the Rat dictator as he walked away

It was at that point that the nameless figure came into the light, and when he did, he was revealed to be not only a Cat, but was none other than General Lynx-O: the blind Lynx General from the first half of the Pilot. And the next thing he said was-

_"Yes, Sir"_

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the enemy camp, we are shown two Berbils nearly collapsed from exhaustion. They tried to get back up, but they were both just too tired, not that it mattered to the Rat guard who came up to them and prepared to whip them. But before he could do any harm, the armored Rodent felt his whip get snagged on something. He turned to see what it was, but much to his surprise, his whip wasn't snagged on anything; it was grabbed by Lion-O, who immediately struck the Rat with a swift yet strong punch in the face.

As the rodent fell unconscious, the Berbils looked with confusion as Lion-O approached them with Pumyra walking close by.

_"Who are you?"_ asked one Berbil

_"We're friends, I'm Lion-O and this is Pumyra" _

_"Are you here to help us?"_ asked the second Berbil

_"Yes, we were nearby when a group of your people got caught by the Rats, so we followed in case you needed some help"_ said Pumyra as she removed the small shackles that both the Berbils wore

_"What are you all doing so far from home anyway? Are Ro-Bear Bill and his family here too?"_ asked Lion-O

_"Ro-Bear Bill? There is no Ro-Bear Bill here"_ said the first Berbil

_"And we aren't far from home; our village is just over that rise"_ said the second Berbil

_"It is?"_ said Pumyra in slight confusion

This was understandable, since the Berbil village that she was told about was actually far from their current location.

_"Yes"_ said the first Berbil _"We Berbils have many villages on Third Earth. Our original home was too small, so the Berbils built many colonies"_

_"Some of the other Berbils here come from two other villages close to ours"_ said the second Berbil

_"Well, don't worry, we're going to get you out of here, all of you"_ said Lion-O

But suddenly, she and Lion-O were caught off guard when a voice from behind them said-

_"Is that a fact, Cat?" _

The two looked behind them, and when they did, they saw that the voice came from a Rat guard, who was aiming what looked like a blaster rifle right at them, along with several other Rat guards. More Rat guards started to arrive on the scene after that, and they were all armed to the teeth with Blaster rifles.

As the two Cats found themselves surrounded, they both took the moment to say-

_"Whiskers"_

-in unison

_(Commercial Break)_

The Rat soldiers began to advance towards the two Cats, who both looked like they were ready to fight back.

_"You are surrounded and outnumbered"_ said one of the Rats _"Remove your weapons and surrender!"_

Lion-O and Pumyra looked at each other for a brief moment, and then Lion-O replied-

_"Well, if we must"_

-as he reached for his sword and Gauntlet

But while he did so, Pumyra gave a subtle smile, and the reason for that was because when Lion-O reached for his gauntlet, he quickly put it on and activated the Spirit Stone.

The Rat soldiers started to fire their weapon after that, but Lion-O used the Spirit Stone to create an energy field around himself, Pumyra and the Berbils. Then, he used the stone to make said force field fire numerous energy blasts that knocked the blaster rifles right out of the Rats hands. Afterwards, Lion-O and Pumyra came at the rodents and started knocking them out like flies.

The two Berbils ran off to a safe distance during this fight, and it's a good thing they did, because more Rat soldiers were starting to arrive. They ferociously fired their weapons, but Pumyra was too agile and Lion-O had the Spirit Stone. Eventually, they took care of the reinforcements, but what the two Cats didn't notice was that three of the Rat grunts from earlier had regained consciousness and were planning to attack the duo from behind.

Fortunately, before they could, a cart filled with scrap metal came right at them and plowed them all over. Lion-O and Pumyra didn't notice this until afterwards, but when they did, they saw that it was the Berbils who did this.

_"Lion-O and Pumyra are friends"_ said the first Berbil, much to the glee of the two Cats

While one of the Rats was lying on the ground in agony, Pumyra came up to him and picked up the blaster rifle that he was holding. She inspected the weapon for a brief moment, and once she was done, she said-

_"Okay, I can almost understand where the Lizards got their weapons; Mumm-Ra gave them their arsenal. But where on Third Earth did the Rats get this kind of firepower?"_

_"Rats force Berbils to build weapons"_ said the second of the Berbils _"Rats make Berbils build many weapons"_

_"But only a few Berbils are made to build weapons"_ said the first Berbil _"Other Berbils are made to work on Ratstar"_

_"The What-star?"_ asked Lion-O

_"Wait, are you talking about that giant "thing" we saw when we came in?"_ Pumyra added, as she dropped the rifle she was holding and approached the Berbils

_"Yes, Ratstar very giant, Rats force Berbils to make Ratstar giant. Rats also force Berbils to fill Ratstar with weapons. Ratstar very dangerous"_ said the first Berbil

_"Well, in that case, lets get you and the other Berbils out of here before that thing gets finished"_ said Lion-O _"Come on"_

After that, Pumyra and the two Berbils all followed Lion-O closely as he walked away. However, once Pumyra made it to her King's side, she said-

_"Lion-O, you do realize that if this "Ratstar" thing really is as dangerous as the Berbils say, we can't just leave it in the Rats' hands"_

_"I know, that's why once we've gotten the Berbils out of here, we're going to take that thing apart"_ said Lion-O

_"Great"_ Pumyra replied, with a smile, right before she continued with _"Um, any idea how we do that, exactly?"_

_"I'm not quite sure yet"_ said Lion-O "_But, don't worry, when the time's right, I'm sure something will come to me"_

_"Oh, that's reassuring"_ said Pumyra in a dry-witted tone

After that, we are then shown another part of the enemy camp, a higher cliff, where Ratar-O himself is once again overseeing the slave labor of the Berbil captives. This time, he, along with two of his Rat guards, was watching over a group of Berbils that were building more laser rifles. Once one of these weapons was completed, the Rat dictator picked it up and started admiring it while saying-

_"Ah, marvelous, simply marvelous: is it any wonder why the Lizards chose to embrace such advanced weaponry?"_

_"I must say, these weapons really are very impressive, sir"_ said one Rat guard as he picked up another finished rifle

_"Yeah, impressive and lethal"_ the second Rat guard added as he also grabbed a finished blaster

_ "We'll need such an arsenal when our campaigns start to get underway"_ said Ratar-O as he aimed the blaster he was holding at a nearby rock _"Our new "project" might be able to handle the heavy duty work, but these little trinkets will come in handy if we encounter any minor details"_

That's when Ratar-O fired his blaster at the rock and reduced it to pebbles. He then walked up to where the rock used to be and smiled a toothy kind of smirk. However, his look of joy was soon replaced by look of surprise when he looked down to the lower part of his camp and saw that Lion-O and Pumyra were running passed his position with the two Berbils they freed.

Now, considering what happened to Ratar-O the last time he crossed paths with Lion-O, one would assume that this discovery would make the rodent dictator very angry. However instead, the mustached Rat just went back to smiling, chuckled wickedly and said-

_"Well, isn't this a delightful surprise. Here I was, waiting for the right moment to exact my revenge on the King of the Thundercats, and now, he practically comes to me on a silver platter"_

_"What do you want us to do, Ratar-O?"_ asked the first of the Rat guards as he joined his master in looking downward

_"Gather up as many spare men as you can, then intercept them, and bring out our new "toys" while you're at it"_ Ratar-O replied

The Rat guard knew fully well what the oversized rodent meant by that last part and the fact that he smiled right before running off to obey Ratar-O's order only cemented this.

Meanwhile, Lion-O and the others were still sneaking around the camp and, just like before, they were doing a good job of not being seen by the guards. However, as soon as they found cover behind a large rock, the young Lion and his Puma follower saw a sight that reminded them of what happened at Mount Plun-Darr: a Berbil being whipped unmercifully by a Rat guard.

_"That's my sister, Ro-Bear Beth!"_ said Berbil #1

This made Pumyra start to snarl in a very angry manner, as well as make her attempt to charge the Rat with the whip. However, Lion-O stopped her and said-

_"Pumyra, take it easy, remember the plan. Don't forget about what happened the last time you flew off the handle"_

Pumyra quickly caught Lion-O's drift and instantly remembered how her impatience and hot-bloodedness got herself, Lion-O and Panthro caught in Mount Plun-Darr. That's when the young Puma collected herself, took a deep breath and said-

_"You're right, I'm calm. I just hate to watch anyone get treated like that, especially by vermin like those Rats!"_

_"I understand, but if we're going to help them, we'll have to do so without getting caught"_ said Lion-O

Meanwhile, while the Rat guard was whipping the female Berbil, he felt his whipping arm be grabbed by someone from behind. The Rat turned around seconds after and saw that it was Lynx-O himself who was holding him.

_"That's enough, soldier!"_ is what the old Lynx said before letting the rodent drop to the ground

Lion-O and Pumyra both opened their eyes wide in shock when they saw the elderly Cat. Never did it occur to either of them that the blind Lynx general survived the Fall of Thundera, especially since all signs pointed to him perishing during the first attack.

_"General Lynx-O…?"_ said Lion-O, silently

_"He's alive...but how…?"_ Pumyra added, also silently

At any rate, the Rat guard simply got back up and looked towards Lynx-O to say-

_"I was only making sure that this slacker was doing her job, General Lynx-O. I found her lying down on the job, so …"_

_"…So what? She's a part of the disposal group, her only job is to get rid of excess scrap metal, I highly doubt that that will affect our plans"_ Lynx-O replied

That last part made Lion-O and Pumyra look even more shocked than before. The Cat who was once chosen to lead the Thunderian army by Claudus himself, a member of a band of Rats? How could that have happened?

_"Well, I suppose that's true…"_ said the Rat guard

_"Of course it's true, soldier, now get back to your rounds, and remember, I'm the one who handles the Berbils that aren't pulling their weight"_

_"Yes, General"_

The Rat guard scurried away after that was said, and during that time, Lion-O and Pumyra both looked particularly angry as they glared at Lynx-O. However, once the guard was gone, the two Cats were surprised to see that Lynx-O actually knelt down to the Berbil female and helped her get back on her feet.

_"Are you alright, little one?"_ is what the old Lynx said afterwards

_"Ro-Bear Beth fine, thank-you"_ the female Berbil replied

Lynx-O started to rub Ro-Bear Beth's head after that and that only made Lion-O and Pumyra all the more confused.

_"Okay, now, I'm at a complete loss"_ said Pumyra

_"You're not the only one"_ Lion-O added

Little did the two Cats realize, however, that something was fast approaching them behind; in fact, they didn't notice it until one of the Berbils said-

_"Thundercats, look out!"_

That's when Lion-O and Pumyra looked behind them and saw a small missile heading right for them. They each grabbed a Berbil and got out of the way, of course, but right afterwards, the two Cats saw that their attackers were Rat guards using the strangest looking weapons either has seen to date.

Lynx-O became aware of this right after the first missile was fired, and he soon made his way out of the blast zone with Ro-Bear Beth in tow.

There were four Rats in total, and each and every one of them was wearing what looked like a bulky mechanical exoskeleton. They vaguely resembled the Warbots that the Lizards use, but seem relatively smaller and had more of a rodent look to their design rather than reptilian. They also had considerably less visible weaponry, which made it hard to tell where that last missile came from. However, that question became the least of the Cats' worries, as two Rats quickly revealed their suits to have laser blasters built into their shoulders, which they began to fire directly at the two Cats.

Lion-O and Pumyra once again dodged their attackers with the Berbils in tow, and once the Berbils were safe, the two Cats quickly went on the offensive. Problem is, their usual attack patterns proved to be less than effective. Lion-O tried using his sword to slash through the Mechas' armor, but it proved to be too thick even for the Sword of Omens. When the Mechas tried to attack him back, the Lord of the Thundercats was forced to use the Spirit Stone to defend himself with an energy shield.

Pumyra was having even less success, as her pellets had virtually no effect on the Mechas what so ever.

_"Do you like the new arsenal, Pussy Cat?"_ asked one of the Rats attacking Pumyra _"We had the Berbils make them special. We call them "Vermi-Mechs", they're a delightful improvement over the Lizards' Warbots, wouldn't you say?"_

The Rat then used the "Vermi-Mech" to swing at the young Puma, but she just barely dodged it. Once she was far enough away, she stopped using her wrist-bow and instead brought out her bolas. She twirled them as fast as she could and then came at the Vermi-Mech with great speed. The Rat pilot attempted to blast her before she got too close, but regardless, Pumyra managed to get close enough to strike the Vermi-Mech on the hinging joint of its right arm.

After that blow was made, the right forearm of the Vermi-Mech started to crackle with electricity before ultimately falling off, much to the horror of the Rat piloting it. Pumyra, on the other hand, was very pleased with what she just saw, and it showed in the way she said-

_"No, not much of an improvement at all, really"_

(Obviously, a reply to the Rat pilot's earlier comment)

Once that was said, Pumyra started to use her bolas to strike multiple joints on the Vermi-Mech until it eventually fell over, with the pilot still inside.

_"Lion-O: the joints, they're the weak spots!"_ the she-cat called out as she herself was being approached by another Vermi-Mech

Lion-O was also being advanced on his Vermi-Mechs, but after hearing Pumyra call out to him, the next thing to come out of his mouth was-

_"Good to know"_

Afterwards, Lion-O used the Spirit Stone to defend himself against a barrage of laser blasts as he charged right at the medium sized war machines. Once close enough, he used the Sword of Omens to slash at one the Vermi-Mechs' knee joints and sent it falling face forward onto the ground. As for the other one, it sped up its advance towards the young Lion and took a powerful left arm swing at him. Lion-O dodged it, however, and delivered a swift slash to the Mecha's upper elbow joint. With only one arm left, the Rat pilot attempted to swing at the Cat one more time, but when that was a miss as well, Lion-O took the opportunity to slash this Vermi-Mech's legs as well, thus sending it falling over as well.

Pumyra spent most of her time dodging the last Vermi-Mech. But eventually, she saw her chance and used her wrist-bow to fire multiple shots at the Mecha's arms and legs.

The four Rats piloting these Mechs were all still alive, of course, but after what happened to their Vermi-Mechs, they were all left unconscious within the cockpits

Lion-O and Pumyra were both pleased with how the battle ended, as were their Berbil friends, once they saw that it was safe to come out.

_"Well, I'll admit, that was a little unexpected…"_ said Lion-O, as he dusted himself off

"…_But, all in all, not a bad workout_" Pumyra continued

_"Still, we'd better keep moving before any more of those "things" show up"_ Lion-O added

But before the Cats and Berbils could start moving, they heard someone say-

_"Too late"_

They all look in the direction of where the statement came from, and when they do, they see that more Vermi-Mechs have arrived and have begun to surround them on all sides. Regardless, Lion-O and Pumyra both stepped up in front of the Berbils and prepared for another fight. But that's when they noticed several more Vermi-Mechs approaching them from behind and Lynx-O himself approaching along with them.

_"There are quite a few Vermi-Mechs here, my friends"_ said Lynx-O _"If I were you, I'd surrender, for the Berbils sake, if not your own"_

Lion-O and Pumyra didn't like the situation, but, they deep down, they knew Lynx-O was right. So, begrudgingly, they both dropped their weapons and held up their hands high. But they both did so with a growl.

Some of the Rats got out of their Vermi-Mechs after that, and approached the two Cats to apprehend them. But all the while, even though his eyes were closed to symbolize his blindness, it was pretty clear that Lynx-O took no pleasure in this.

_(Commercial Break)_

We are then shown a near full view of the "RatStar", only now, it was looking more finished. Its insides certainly were, since the next thing we see is the interior corridor where Lion-O, Pumyra and their Berbil friends are all being escorted down in chains. There were six Rat guards walking with them at the time and each and every one of them was armed with a blaster rifle, sans the two who were walking ahead of the prisoners. Lynx-O was walking down the corridor with them, but he was following from the far behind, just as well though, since Pumyra and Lion-O were both looking particularly agitated.

_"I don't know why we're wasting time locking these Cats up in a cell"_ said one Rat guard _"Seems to me, it would have been so much easier just to finish them off outside"_

_"I agree, let's save ourselves some trouble in the long and just get it over with now. My trigger finger's getting itchy!"_ said another Rat Guard

_"I agree, it might seem unwise to keep these Cats alive"_ said Lynx-O from behind _"But if I know Ratar-O, and I do, he'll likely want to keep our 2 prisoners alive long enough to watch his victory or some other such nonsense"_

_"Makes perfect sense to me"_ said a third Rat guard _"The way I heard it, the Big Cat here is the one who ruined things for the boss at Mount Plun-Darr"_

_"So that's what this is about, revenge? Ugh"_ said the fourth Rat Guard in the group

_"Yeah, typical Ratar-O, that's pretty much all he's really into: power and revenge"_ said one of the Rats walking ahead of the prisoners

_"Seems kind of like an obsession if you ask me"_ said the other Rat walking with him

_"Alright, troops that's enough, it's time to put our guests here into storage"_ said Lynx-O as they finally arrived at what appeared to be a brig.

Per his orders, the Rats forced the Cats and the Berbils into a their cell and then activated the energy field barrier that sealed them inside

_"Okay, so they're in the cell, now what?"_ said one of the Rats

_"Now, you four go off to inform Ratar-O of our catch, while the others stay behind and help me keep an eye on them"_ replied the Blind Lynx

_"Yes, General"_ the four Rats said in unison, right before they scurried off to obey his command

Now it was just Lynx-O, his two remaining Rat guards and their four prisoners.

_"So how did it happen, Lynx-O?"_ said Lion-O, finally breaking the brief silence

_"I beg your pardon?"_ Lynx-O replied

_"How did such a high-ranking soldier in Thunderian Royal army, a soldier who was once chosen over both Panthro and Grune, I might add, end up as member of a band of Rats, and a band of slavers no less?" _

_"Watch your tone, Cat" _said one of the Rat Guards as he aimed his Blaster rifle directly at Lion-O

_"No, soldier, it's okay, I have nothing hide from the former Prince of Thundera"_ said Lynx-O, gesturing to the armed rodent to put down his weapon

_"I am King of Thundera now, General"_ Lion-O replied in a semi-angry tone

_"Does it really matter anymore?"_ replied Lynx-O _"Thundera is in ruins, Lion-O, our once mighty empire has collapsed, our once proud military has been crushed. As far as I'm concerned, the legacy of the Thundercats is no more. In regards to how I got here, well, like any Cat who managed to escape all of the carnage of the Thundera, I've made other arrangements, if only to stay alive"_

That last part made Lion-O stare at the blind Lynx with a cocked eyebrow, however no one else seemed to notice this, especially since Pumyra came out and said-

_"Other arrangements, huh, is that what people are calling deserting your own people and joining up with swamp-dwelling rodents now?"_

-rather angrily

_"Shut your mouth!"_ said the second of the Rat Guards, as he aimed his rifle at Pumyra's face

But before he could fire a shot, Lynx-O pushed the weapon away from Pumyra and said-

_"Calm down, soldier, you'll get your chance, but for right now, I'm pretty sure Ratar-O wants them alive" _

_"(Dejected) fine"_ said the Rat as he lowered his rifle

_"Good, now, you two stay here and watch them while I go and check on progress of the Berbil Slaves"_ Lynx-O continued

That last comment made the two Rat guards exchange a look of confusion before one of them said

_"But didn't you just tell the others that you were going to stay and help guard the prisoners, General?"_ the two Rats said at the same time

_"Well, yes, I did, but then I remembered that I had to make sure that the Berbil finish on schedule. You know how much Ratar-O wants this project completed"_ said Lynx-O, almost nervously

_"Well, yeah, but…"_ said the other Rat guard

Right before Lynx-O approached him and said-

_"…But what, soldier?"_

-In a rather angry tone

_"Nothing, sir"_ is what the armed rodent said, indicating that he had dropped the subject all together

After that, Lynx-O exited the brig, and once he was gone, Lion-O looked at the doorway he used and made a "that's interesting face" as a result.

Pumyra, on the other hand, just scoffed and said-

_"And to think, Lion-O, that's the Cat that your father chose to be leader of the Thunderian Army. He's no better than Grune! If I ever get out of here, I swear I'll…"_

It was at that moment, however, that Lion-O interrupted his Puma associate by placing his hand on her shoulder and then silently gesturing to her to both be silent and to follow him to the back of the cell. The Rats barely noticed this, and once the two Cats were out of their hearing range, they began to talk, albeit quietly.

_"I wouldn't be so quick to judge Lynx-O just yet, Pumyra"_ said Lion-O

_"Excuse me?"_ replied Pumyra, almost shocked by her King's statement

"_Yeah, I know what it looks like, but…I got a good look at Lynx-O's face when spoke to me, and when he explained himself to the Rats. Don't ask me how I know, but, I think there's something else involved in all of this"_ said Lion-O

_"Something else? Something else!?"_ snapped Pumyra, almost raising her voice too high _"Lion-O, he's abandoned his own people and culture so that he could side with the Rats! He's helped Ratar-O enslave all these Berbils and is, even now, aiding his men in whipping them into submission! What else could possibly be going on here, besides a traitorous Cat who's lost his way?"_

_"You just answered your own question, Pumyra; he's a Cat who's lost his way"_ Lion-O replied _"You heard him; he's had to make "other arrangements" just to survive, and considering the way he said it, I'm going to assume he's been through a lot"_

_"So what, he's not the only Cat who's suffered since the Fall of Thundera. Don't forget, Lion-O, a large number of us were caught and sold into back-breaking slavery. However, unlike Lynx-O, the rest of us didn't join up with a band of whip-happy rodents and become slavers ourselves"_ snapped Pumyra

_"No, some of you just went to work for Mumm-Ra as spies and became pawns in his attempts to get back his stones" _said Lion-O, rather coldly _"But, hey, at least you were getting rewarded for it, right? And I'm sure that settling a personal score with your King is definitely worth handing Third Earth into the hands of an undead demon"_

It was that comment that made Pumyra's angry face turn into one of shock and then one of sadness. She knew perfectly well that her King was talking about her.

_"Still though, if there's one thing that I know about Lynxes, it's that you can't break their wills easily" _Lion-O continued _"They're some of the toughest Cats out there, and by that logic, if Lynx-O is here, then that means he must have been through something horrible. And if we're going to help him, we have to find out what it was"_

_"Okay" _saidPumyra, this time without anger _"But may I remind you that we're still locked up in this cell and are currently awaiting execution"_

_"Berbils can fix that" _said Berbil #1 s Lion-O and Pumyra looked in his direction and saw what he was doing

Apparently, while the young Lion and Puma were talking, Berbil #1 and Berbil #2 had already opened a plate covering on the floor and were now fiddling with the wires in the circuitry.

_"Berbils help Thundercats escape" _Berbil #2 added as held two clipped wires in his hands and then brought them closer together

This naturally caused them to connect electrically and when they did, the energy barrier of the cell started to flicker a little and subsequently drew the attention of the Rat guards. When the energy barrier was finally gone, the Rats were left flabbergasted and attempted to investigate by getting closer.

_"Hey, what's going on here?"_ said one guard

_"What did you Cats do?"_ said the other as he and his partner aimed their weapons at Lion-O and Pumyra

However, what the two Rats didn't notice was that they were now standing in the middle of the cell doorway, and once they were there, Berbil #2 separated the two wires he was holding and thus reactivated the energy barrier right on top of them. The two Rats screamed in agony for a few seconds, as they were electrocuted by the field's energy, but before they could sustain any fatal pain, Berbil #2 brought the wires back together and deactivated the energy field yet again. This allowed the two guards to wobble around a bit before dropping their weapons and collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Lion-O and Pumyra smiled at this for a few seconds, right before they heard Berbil #1 say-

_"Berbils do good?"_

_"No, Berbils do great" _Lion-O replied

We then cut to another part of the Ratstar, where Lynx-O is walking down another corridor. True, he did say that he was going back outside, but in reality, he just wanted some time to himself to think about his little discussion with Lion-O. He may have tried to make it sound like he felt no remorse for his actions, but now that he was alone; Lynx-O was free to show how he really felt. He leaned against a wall with one hand and used the other to rub his eyes with the impression that he had just lost his already failed eyesight. Clearly, something was on the blind Lynx's mind.

He then turned around a little, so that he could lean on the wall with his back, and when he did, he used his right hand to feel on his chest for the circular plate that's still there. This is where Lynx-O carried his Thundercats symbol. Granted, it was a little cracked, no doubt from the original siege of Thundera, but it was still a part of Lynx-O's armor and it made him think about voices he heard in the past.

We don't see a flashback this time, but we do hear some voice in the background saying-

_"General Lynx-O, the Lizards are approaching us, their weapons…what do we do?"_

That's when we hear Lynx-O's own voice in the thought and he replies-

_"Stay calm men, we've sent the warning to Thundera, all we can do now is stand our ground!"_

That last part echoed in Lynx-O's thoughts for a few seconds and it made him cover his symbol plate with his entire paw while he gave a look of blind despair.

Within seconds however, Lynx-O is snapped out of his daydream when a Rat guard approaches him and says-

_"General Lynx-O, is something wrong?"_

_"What, oh, uh no, nothing's wrong, soldier" _Lynx-O replied _"I was just heading outside to make sure that the Berbils were still working"_

_"Oh, the Berbils are done building for now, sir" _the Rat replied_ "Ratar-O just gave the word to have all of them placed in the cargo hold"_

_"The cargo hold, what on Third Earth for?" _asked Lynx-O

_"He didn't say, he just told us to make sure that every Berbil was present and accounted for in the cargo hold. He must be planning to gather more I suppose" _said the Rat

Lynx-O wasn't sure on how to respond to this, but before he could give any response, a loud alarm system began to sound off.

_"What's going on?" _asked the blind Lynx

_"I'm not sure, let me check the alarm grid" _said the rodent guard as he headed towards a control console and started typing on the mini keyboard.

Once he was done, he looked at the small screen and said-

_"According to this, the disturbance is coming from sector 8"_

We then cut to sector 8 and when we do, we see that the cause of the disturbance was (of course) the Thundercats. Lion-O and Pumyra were right in the middle of a fight with several Rat soldiers and were making pretty short work of them. Even the two Berbils were helping out in their own way.

Once the fight was over, Lion-O found a limp Rat, blasted his rifle with the Spirit Stone when he tried to reach for it and then lifted him up by his fur collar so he could say-

_"Where are the other Berbils?"_

-in a rather threatening tone

_"We-we just put them in the Cargo hold, down the hall, to the left" _said the Rat in mild fear

Afterwards, Lion-O dropped the injured rodent and he and his companions all made their way towards the cargo hold.

However, what Lion-O and co. didn't know was that in addition to the numerous Berbils in the cargo hold, Lynx-O and about six other Rat guards were waiting. Two of them were even wearing Vermi-Mechs.

_"Are you sure that the Cats will be coming here, General Lynx-O" _asked one of the Rats

_"Those two seem particularly bent on helping our Berbil workers" _Lynx-O replied _"And if they want to help them all, they'll have to come here. Make sure that your weapons are ready"_

Per Lynx-O's orders, the Rats all readied their arsenal and aimed them at the door, much to the concern of the Berbils.

Meanwhile, on what could be assumed is the bridge of the "Ratstar", we see about several different Rats seated at a different station and Ratar-O standing in the middle of it all.

_"Are we ready to begin?" _said the rodent dictator

_"We are ready, sir" _said one of the Rats onboard_ "But I have to say, master, I'm not quite sure that I understand your reasons for getting rid of the Berbils. I mean look what they have done; don't you think that we should probably keep them around a little bit longer?"_

_"I agree, especially since the Ratstar isn't technically completed"_ said another Rat _"Parts of the hull are still left wide open"_

_"With the incredible firepower that this machine possesses, the hull is nothing more than a needless precaution" _said Ratar-O_ "But if it means that much to you to have it fixed, we'll pick some more Berbils after our first strike. As for the ones we have, well, to be perfectly honest; I'm sick and tired of having to look at their dopey-looking faces none stop, I've already had to do so for 3 weeks solid. Fortunately though, I have the perfect solution for dealing with them"_

It was at that moment, however, that Ratar-O was caught off guard when another Rat entered the bridge and said-

_"Ratar-O, the Cats, they've escaped, they're headed towards the Cargo bay with two escaped Berbils"_

_"What!?"_ yelled Ratar-O in surprise _"You fool; how could you have let them esca…?"_

Suddenly, Ratar-O's anger was replaced with a sinister looking smile as he then continued-

_"Did you say they were headed towards the cargo hold?"_

_"Um, yes, sir" _said the Rat guard, mildly at a loss on what his leader was getting at

That's when Ratar-O started to chuckle wickedly as he replied-

_"Well, this actually works more to my advantage. Pay it no mind, soldier, the rest of you, begin activating the Ratstar, it's time to get my plans underway"_

And just like Ratar-O ordered, the other rodents all began to push random buttons, until eventually, something started to happen, much to the pleasure of Ratar-O himself.

Meanwhile, back at the cargo hold area, Lion-O and company had finally arrived at their destination and were prepared to enter, unaware that Lynx-O and his troops were still anxiously waiting for them.

However, just when you'd think that things were gonna get ugly, something happened to the power and all became dark.

_"Hey, what happened" _said one Rat

_"Yeah, everything just went dark" _said another Rat

_"Really, well, I guess I'll just have to take your word for it" _said Lynx-O, rather sarcastically

(Obviously a nod to the fact that he was _blind_)

_"Sorry" _said the Rat from before

Eventually, the lights did come back on, and when they did, the Rats were a little perplexed by the fact that the door was open, but Lion-O and his friends were nowhere to be found.

Two of the Rat soldiers went over to the door to investigate, but when they did, Lion-O and Pumyra made their move and left both of them flat on their backs. They ran in to engage the other Rats and their two Berbil friends ran in to greet their friends.

Lion-O and Pumyra both made short work of the rodent soldiers, even the ones in the Vermi-Mechs, until finally; it was just Lynx-O who was left standing

They aimed their weapons at the blind Lynx as they advanced on him and he heard every step. He even raised up his hands and said-

_"Alright, alright, an honest General knows when he's defeated, though I have to say, whatever you did with the lights was pretty underhanded"_

_"You like? Our Berbil friends came up with that one" _replied Pumyra as she continued to aim her wrist-bow at the Lynx General _"You didn't really think we were going to walk into such an obvious trap without a plan, did you?"_

With that said, Lion-O continued to point his magic sword at Lynx-O as he approached the old Cat and said-

_"We need to talk, General"_

But before the old Lynx could answer, everyone in the cargo hold felt a sudden rumbling all around them. Almost as if the entire Ratstar was being shaken from the outside.

_"Are we… moving?" _asked Pumyra

And indeed they were moving; the entire Ratstar was rising off the ground and was taking to the sky. Now you would assume that such a large warship would take a long time to get too high, but this particular vessel was gaining altitude as fast as the Feliner itself. Anyone who would have seen this would have been both impressed and perplexed.

We then cut back to the Ratstar's bridge, where we see all the Rats there monitoring the ship's instruments. Except for Ratar-O who was still just standing where he was before they took off.

_"Are at a sufficient height, lieutenant?" _the rodent tyrant asked

_"Yes, sir, we're entering 100 ft in altitude as we speak" _said the Rat lieutenant

_"Excellent, now then, time to drop off some trash" _Ratar-O continued, now stroking his mustache in a devious fashion

We then cut back to the cargo hold where everyone there is still trying to figure out what's going on. However, they are all quickly given something else to worry about when solid glass walls appear out of nowhere and seal off every side of the cargo bay. Everyone was at a loss, but suddenly, it all started to somewhat make sense when the sealed off cargo hold began to detach itself from the rest of the Ratstar. Before anyone could react to it, the entire section of the warship was dropped from the rest like a falling peach and everyone on board was screaming as they plummeted to the ground.

_(Episode Ends)_


End file.
